


Strange Beginnings

by zenkitty555



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Angst and Feels, Arranged Marriage, Bathing/Washing, Bonding, Comic Elements, Domestic, Eventual Happy Ending, Fake Marriage, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Knotting, M/M, Marriage Contracts, Matchmaking, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Mpreg, Multiple Partners, New York City, Non-Graphic Violence, Omega Verse, Rough Oral Sex, Slow Build, Unplanned Pregnancy, thigh fucking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 23:04:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 48,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12375978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenkitty555/pseuds/zenkitty555
Summary: Stephen Strange and Karl Mordo separately seek out a famed matchmaker to find a mate. Their conditions are simple- find another person who will not become romantically attached. Unfortunately, they neglect to factor in the possibility that fate seems to have a very different idea about this.





	1. Matchmaker Wong

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MianMimi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MianMimi/gifts).



> This fic would not be possible if it weren't for MianMimi who has slowly driven me deeper into an obsession with ABO fic. This is entirely her fault, and I've tried to stuff it full with all those good tropes we love.

His 11:30 was already ten minutes late when he heard a knock on the door to his office. Wasting Wong’s time was never a good idea, especially so close to lunch hour. Today, he was extra moody from the lack of bagels at the cart this morning, and tried not to let it show on his face too much as the man entered. The lack of bagels had just been the tip of the iceberg with his day progressively turning from mediocre to irritating.

Looking down at his planner, he made a note about the man’s tardiness. This was one of the many reasons he was good at his job. He noticed everything about everyone and used it to his advantage. There had never been a dissatisfied client since opening his business five years ago because of his detail oriented mind. Even the little things could tell a lot about a person. Unapologetic tardiness indicated disorganization or hubris. Giving one look at the man in front him, he knew it was hubris rather than disorganization- a flagrant disregard for the time of others.

Stephen Strange was a tall, handsome man of 25. The way he strolled in told Wong that he was not nervous- tipping him off that Strange was not desperately seeking a match, unlike most others who came through that door were. But he was most definitely an Alpha with his faintly musky scent and how he held himself. Yet, something was off as he tried to cover both of these traits up. There was a very clinical smell that almost threw Wong off, and the younger man tried to mask his slight swagger with a stiffness in his arms that mimicked the behavioral conditioning patterns of a Beta male. Most people would not notice this, but he needed to understand his client's behavior and mannerisms if the match was to be successful. And although he could never guess at the reasons for this deception, it was obvious this man was going to be a pain in the ass; reminding Wong the lack of bagels had been the tip of the iceberg.

After their quick introductions, Strange sprawled out over the chair, once again mirroring the posture of most Beta males, and sighed loudly. Something weighed on him, like he really didn’t want to be here.

“I heard you're the best in town for matchmaking, but I’m surprised you're not on Canal or Mott. People say you’ve got good divination skills, almost like sorcery with the way you can place people.”

Wong glared at him as he could scarcely believe his ears.

“Are you stupid or just a racist?”

His mouth opened in shock for a second before he sputtered, “No, I didn’t mean…”

Realizing his mistake of implying that Wong was some kind of Chinese shaman, he shut up pretty quickly. At least he had some sense to look ashamed, as there were quite a few who would not. Still, it was a terrible way to start with Wong kind of wanting to throw him out now even before the interview started.

“I make more in one month than you would have paid in tuition fees for an entire semester if you hadn’t been on a scholarship,” Wong warned.

Sitting in front of Wong on his desk were all the details he required of his clients. The file including such things as: family background, educational background, employment summary, criminal background checks, and two character references. It was his job to know everything.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything by it. Just that matchmakers are kind of on the way out with the internet now a thing. ”

He knew now that Strange had been referring to the fact that many of his clients did come from backgrounds that liked a personal touch to their matches. Although he didn’t like hearing about the internet dating scene, it was not a wrong assessment. Only Wong was different from those dream hawkers; his methods were very reliable.

“I am a specialized matchmaker, not a computer working on algorithms. For example: you, Stephen Strange, are what you seem on paper, except for the fact that you're not really interested in finding a mate and for some reason are trying to pass as a Beta. As to why, it’s beyond me, but it’s your business, and I do not care as long as you pay your fee.”

Strange went quiet, obviously not keen on Wong calling him out.

“You’ll get your money,” he begrudgingly replied.

Wong felt vindicated that he put Strange in his place and shrugged in response. Of course he would get his money. He knew it was true, just as he knew the reason why Strange was there in the first place without even having to discuss it. There had been so many others in his position before that had come to him for help. And the reason was that medical students were not allowed to start their residencies until they could prove that they were mated.

It was an archaic policy; one that supposedly ensured if there were any sexual assaults on patients, the perpetrator could not claim it was due to their ‘nature’. There were other politics involved as well, but Wong didn’t really care for the reasons why clients came to him, just that they came. Wong didn’t agree with many of the policies, but the Betas in power were not about to change their minds anytime soon.

No, if he played it right, Wong would continue to receive at least 20 to 30 students a semester. Especially since many of them wish to make good, stable matches for their future. For most, he was able to do at least that.

“Well Mr.Strange, you know that this interview is determine what kind of person you are and the kind of person you are searching for,” Wong stated plainly.

“It’s Doctor Strange by the way. As for what I’m looking for, I don’t really care who, as long as they don’t expect much from me. I’m going to be a neurosurgeon, so the ideal person is someone independent and can spend weeks and months relatively alone. I’m not looking for love.”

Wong sighed heavily. This guy was really going to be obnoxious. He didn’t even have a preference for anything besides someone who was not looking for love, and that preference was less common than people would believe there to be in this type of subset of clients. There were so many who came to him with the hope of eventually finding love. To straight up admit that you wanted a marriage of convenience was tactless at best, and foolish at worst.

“Preference for anything at all? Sex? Age? Height? Race?”

Although these kinds of questions were hard to ask and hear answer at times, they needed to be asked to make all parties involved happy.

“I don’t care. Just no one too old or too young. Should be at least able to buy a beer at a bar, but not old enough to be mistaken as my parent.”

Wong’s skin practically crawled with how much this man did not care about achieving his end goals. Thankfully, he had come to Wong instead of some less reputable agency. There were many who would just pair him with some undesirable candidate to get him out of their hair.

Although it would be difficult to match Strange, he would try his best. He didn’t want his success rate to fall after all. He was the top matchmaker in Manhattan and took his job seriously.

“Is that it?” Wong checked one last time.

“Yes.” The man got up before Wong had fully finished his interview, obviously anxious to leave the office.

Surprisingly, even though Strange had been late, he finished the interview before lunch time. Wong wasn’t about to complain. Instead he bid his client goodbye before reminding him to see the receptionist for further details about the processes and payment.

Looking down at his watch, Wong figured it was safe to grab a real meal before his next client. He was not looking forward to that appointment, as he had been rung up by a baroness concerning her son, and normally when parents were involved, it made his job 30 times harder. Also the upper class immigrant families tended to be the hardest to deal with. A few months ago he had a disastrous time making a match for a girl just barely 20 - Minoru. It still made his head swim thinking about all the hoops he had to jump through to make that family happy.

Thankfully his favorite bodega had not yet run out of their sandwich special for the day, and he was able to tackle the next client on a full and satisfied stomach. He was surprised when returned to the office to find said client sitting in his reception, extremely early for their appointment and waiting for him to come back. It was irritating as he hoped to rest little longer.

If he hadn’t scolded Strange less than an hour earlier for making snap judgements, he would of thought it odd that the man, Mordo, was the son of a baroness. Dressed extremely plainly, without any of the airs or haughtiness that surround even the newest or poorest of New Yorkers, he almost blended into the sofa. He looked relaxed, but serious. Wong invited him into his office early hoping to get it over quick enough to have some time to grab a coffee before the afternoon grind really began.

When Karl Mordo followed him and sat down, he saw the breeding of a true gentleman. He held himself with such grace that was eye catching, and Wong figured the man would be easily placed, despite the lack of information about his personal history. In fact, if Wong had been interested in intimate relations with others, he would have probably considered this man in front of him a match for himself. There was something captivating about him. Alas, Wong was not and would not be in the market for that kind of companion. 

Even though the lack of information surrounding Mordo was peculiar, it was not as uncommon as one would think. There was really nothing that tipped Wong off that there was anything odd about the man at first, but when he opened his mouth after Wong had asked him what he was looking for, his answer came as a surprise.

“I’m looking for man who is not looking for any commitment. Someone who is within 5 years of my age. Preferably I would like someone a little taller than myself, but I will not object to anyone based on height. When I say that I am not looking for a romantic attachment, I mean it. This arrangement is to fulfill requirements set forth by my grandfather in his will and to solidify my status as head of household. I have been to three different agencies already and each one had failed matching me with a suitable candidate.”

He sounded angry about this, and Wong wasn’t sure if it was due to the failure of being matched or the thought of his money being kept away from him. Either reason was plausible given his background.

If Wong were a little less professional, his jaw may have hit the ground, but he tried to control his shock. It was insanely rare that two men in one day would be looking for partners out of circumstance; both of whom also insist that they did not want to become  attached. It felt like he was sucked in a science fiction television show, or the cruel victim of a cosmic joke. Although this made his job easier in some ways, he knew that this was probably not a sound basis for a relationship. It sounded like the opposite of that.

“Anything else?”

“My mother wishes that the Alpha be of a respectable profession. She’s given up hope of finding someone to suit my status in life, but she requires that there be some prestige,” Mordo ground out this part with bitterness.

Wong couldn’t believe his ears. Even if Strange was not rich by any means, his schooling and scores told Wong that he would be going places in life. Strange fit, but he wasn’t eager to make the match. He didn’t know if it would be good enough for the Mordos. Strange also was a odd character for sure.

“Well, it is not an easy order, but I will try my best not to disappoint.”

“I need this done fast. I don’t have much time, as the will stipulated that I must be mated by my 25th birthday in three months.”

That was about the same length of time Strange was looking at, before his program started. As much as he hated to admit it, things looked like they would fall into place, but he couldn’t be certain of it.

Looking at Mordo one last time, he would suit a whole lot of people much more nicely if he wasn’t so adamant that he didn’t want romantic attachments. There was a strength to him that would tempt more free thinkers, but he still possessed that air of Omega that many found comforting. His peculiar manners made him seem more mature than his 24 years. Rich, handsome, and of average height, he could have nearly any one of Wong’s Alpha clients. Instead he wanted to make what was in Wong’s opinion a lesser match.

Even if Stephen Strange had less prospects, with his looks and his education, he too would have had quite a few choices. It almost seemed a shame that these two were uninterested in finding love when they probably could find someone who could at least appreciate them. Instead they chose to wrap themselves up whatever unknown drama that may be consuming their lives at the moment.

He bade Mordo goodbye shortly after they had finished going over more details about what Mordo wanted, and now was when the real work began. Little did people know it wasn’t just about sticking two profiles together and letting nature take over. It was more complicated than that. He had to set the scene and help oversee negotiations.

His gut told him that this would not be an easy negotiation; each side wanting to stay separate, but the joining of two people were always wrought with lots of little details. Even if two people found one another naturally, it was never an easy road. For two people who wanted to bond within the span of a couple of months, it would be a staggeringly large task.

His meeting with Mordo actually ran late. Right before his next client arrived, he told his receptionist to set up the meeting between the two later in the week.

.oOo.

2pm on a Saturday was not an ideal time for Wong, but he would make sacrifices to see this thing go through and to go through fast. Plus, it helped that he would be paid overtime for his troubles, so he couldn’t complain too much.

Of course Karl Mordo was the first to arrive and awkwardly with his mother. It wasn’t atypical that parents would want to come along, but normally parents would only accompany those who were a bit younger, mostly in the 18-21 range. For one nearly 25, it was a little embarrassing and odd. Wong tried not to cringe when he saw it, knowing that an overbearing parent could complicate things.

The mother didn’t even look at Wong, instead sitting down and staring off into nothingness. It was not expected a woman in such social standing would be so rude, and her son decided to apologize for her behavior as discretely as one could.

Wong’s mood quickly soured even more at the prospect of this meeting. Had it just been the two men, it may have been an easy afternoon, but the baroness looked picky, even more picky than that girl, Minoru’s parents had been.

He took a deep breath as they waited for Strange to show up. Again, he was late. It shouldn’t have been like this at all. For someone who really wanted to get bonded and improve their future prospects, Strange was pretty fucking annoying about how nonchalant he was about keeping appointments. Wong was not happy at all, and the other two people in the room also looked increasingly irritated as minutes ticked by. Strange was blowing his chances at making an excellent match.

Looking at his wristwatch again, 15 minutes had now passed, and he apologized once again to the Mordos. Eventually Strange came in, his hair tousled, his button up dress shirt askew and sleeves pushed up.

Wong gasped.

As they looked at him, they couldn’t help but notice there was blood on his sleeve and and wet spots on his knees. Despite Wong’s dislike for the man, he looked kind of impressive with his dramatic entrance. Wong was surprised at the quick turn concerning his first impression.

“Sorry, there was a tussle between a car and a messenger bike. Afraid the car won as they normally do, but the guy will live. Luckily, I wasn’t too far away.”

Watching the scene play out was like watching a very poorly scripted off-Broadway play with good actors. It was the kind of situation where most others would have stars in their eyes, impressed and taken with a heroic action, but the players in this room had very different reactions.

Karl Mordo, looked almost nervous, while his mother smiled politely, unreadable. There was some sort of disconnect between what was happening and how normal people reacted. Strange was quite cool at the moment, proving that he was something a little different from others.

Wong had his worked cut out for him, or so he assumed from the first few minutes Strange was in the room. It was the first time in a long time that he really hoped he was wrong about what the others were thinking in the room.

Strange sat down across from them, looking tired from whatever ordeal he had been through. He smiled slyly, and sat up straight in his chair, as if he knew that he would probably be flat out rejected if he sat the way he had last time that he had met with Wong. He was acting at this point. It seemed he really did want to make this match.

The Mordos looked absolutely bored with him, and the mother tilted her head slightly to the side before excusing herself. Wong wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or bad. She was harder to read than most of his other clients. Pondering on it, it was probably a good thing, as she had not taken her son with her. It was hard to suss out their relationship, as he never got the feeling that Mordo was a mama’s boy from any of their conversations or interactions. She did seem to have some hold over him, making the dynamic weird.

This match was starting to make his head spin.

Strange was the first one to speak, “I am not looking for a romance, I am here to fulfill what is required of me. Obviously, you’re no idiot and know this, but I want to be clear that I want to quietly live my life with little interference.”

Karl Mordo looked at him and hesitated to speak, as if he were choosing his words carefully.

“This is exactly what I am looking for too. You will have to bond with me, but after that I don’t want a physical or romantic relationship. Of course, we will have to stay married for quite some time, as required by your job and my grandfather’s will, but it will be on paper only.”

There had been very few times in his career where Wong had watched a scene like this play out. It was exceptionally rare in this day and age for two people to have absolutely zero interest in finding someone they would like to bond with. It felt odd.

“Good.”

Wong decided this was probably the time to speak up. Normally he would monitor people and decided if they seemed like they had a chance. These two didn’t, but it didn’t matter, as that was not what they were after.

“Well, there is talk of expectations after the paperwork is done. As it has been stated, the both of you will need to bond as required by your respective situations, but after that there should be talk of living conditions and responsibilities.”

Strange shifted in his seat, obviously less comfortable about talking about these things. Wong knew why. Even though he was able to cough up the money for Wong’s services somehow, he didn’t come from money, probably depending on his farmer parent at times. There was also the pittance of salary that he would receive until he was made a fellow somewhere. Although it was lucrative to be a doctor, it would take the man years to get to that point. While most people found that agreeable, Mordo might not.

Mordo lived a very different kind of life. He might as well have just bottled the essence of money and sprayed it all over himself.  There was no chance in mistaking Mordo for being even upper middle-class. In fact, Wong was sure he was in the top 20 of the richest clients he had ever had. Strange would be literally marrying into the stratosphere of the upper class- a Cinderella story, if there ever was one. Yet, neither one of them seemed like they were going to wind up with a fairytale.

It was a bit disheartening, but who was he to judge.

“Our townhouse is big enough to house you if you wish, but there will be rooms you are not to go in, and guests you will not be allowed to interact with,” Mordo said.

Wong was trying to keep a shocked expression off his face, but at that moment it was a bit hard. There were a lot surprising conditionals there.

“That’s fine. I’ll probably be in the hospital most of the time.”

Thinking about it further, Wong decided these two were made for one another. He couldn't understand either of them, but they obviously were speaking their own language at this point.

“Children? Other relevant wishes? I know you both have your profiles, but...” Wong prompted.

“This is a marriage of convenience, not of love. As if we would want children,” Strange  retorted, practically snorting in amusement.

After Strange said this, Wong noticed a small little tick from Mordo. It seemed they may have a difference in opinion, but it was curious as he had been so adamant that they would not be romantically involved. He made a note of it, deciding he would question the man in private.

“Yes, children would not be a very good idea,” Mordo agreed quietly.

Strange look at Wong with boredom and Mordo didn’t look at anyone at all, instead choosing to focus on a potted plant in the corner of the office. Sighing quietly to himself, Wong stood up in order to show the two out as they seemed finished. There would be other details that needed to be settled between the two, but now that it seemed Wong had done his part, there were only the formalities left. This included such things as follow up appointments and the like, making sure no one was being pressured into the situation. Government regulations on his type of work had become stricter and he would have to submit more paperwork than before.

Before Mordo could leave though, Wong pulled the man aside to ask about what he had seen easier, but when the man brushed him off with such fire in his eyes, he knew that there was no point in enquiring again.

Part of him knew that whatever played out between the two in the future would be between them, but still something about the whole thing gave him pause, and for the first time in his career, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. His gut felt very uneasy about all of it.


	2. Omega Karl Mordo

 

It was an uncomfortable conversation and one they had been dancing around for ages now, but there was no use trying to protect the older man from reality. Karl only hoped that it would go as smoothly as possible. There were times he wasn’t quite sure how Kaecilius would act, and after his grandfather’s death, Kaecilius had become more and more anxious about his position in life. The only thing Karl could do was try to be patient with the man as he worked out his feelings about their new restrictions and upcoming changes. At least Kaecilius still had his work, but Karl had next to nothing now that he was forbidden from his studies.

As Kaecilius sat on the chair next to his vanity, his expression soured and darkened. Anger poured off of him and his jaw tensed with his mouth twisting into a grimace. Looking at him, Karl knew that he would have to do some very smooth talking to cheer him up. To warm up though, he put his hands upon Kaecilius’ shoulders hoping to relieve some of the tension he knew resided in the muscle that was there. Kaecilius shook him off in response.

“And so you make plans to betray me.”

“Stop. You know that is not true. There is no other way Kae. And it will only be one heat, then just a scar, nothing more. He’s a doctor in training of some sorts so he won’t even be at the house that often. I’ll make sure you won’t even have to see him most of the time.”

Kaecilius made a noise of displeasure. 

Although he had explained many times about the contents of his grandfather’s will, it did not seem to appease the man that he too would lose out on his portion if Karl was not bonded. His grandfather had grown quite fond of Kaecilius during the last ten years the man had worked for him, and had rewarded him quite nicely for it. Loyalty was held in top regard in his family. There were consequences for not being loyal, but since Kae was not of the Krawler line, he was treated special for his loyalty.

There was something else that had gone on concerning the will that Kaecilius could guess at, but they had not talked about it and would not talk about it. Karl's mother tried to sway her influence over everything, and although she was not aggressive about it, she had her ways. It was the reason why the will stipulated that Karl needed to bond and the reason she also had overseen the process. Using Kaecilius’ status as a Beta against him, she convicted Karl’s grandfather that Karl would need to continue on the name of the family, and he could only do that by having an Alpha. It was disgusting traditional thinking about blood lines. Even now when he thought about it, he became angry. 

Sara Mordo’s hatred for Kaecilius knew no bounds, and Karl knew that what they were going through now had been all of her doing. She watched him like a hawk every time he tried to make a decision for himself. Disgusting, given that he was already quite old enough and nearly finished with his PhD. Citing a lack of judgement, she even went as far as interfering with whom he did choose. Knowing that he was not going to marry for love and needed to marry quickly, he had a feeling that she had paid his other picks for a partner off until he found Stephen Strange. All the while he was looking, she had been going from lawyer to lawyer trying to add into the will that Karl would be forbidden to have a relationship, even one of friendship with Kaecilius, otherwise he would lose his share, too.  

Stephen was passable even if he wasn’t ideal, and Sara knew time was running out. She would never be able to get the will changed posthumously. The catch of the will was that if Karl didn’t bond within a certain time frame all of the will’s contents would go into a trust and she would lose out on her portion as well. There was no way she would lose out on her share.

“You sit and play at your wedding and bonding, and think me a fool while you do it. Are you even going to invite me to the gala? You know Sara will insist upon one.”

Karl tried to keep his voice as level as possible; he wanted to avoid having another argument, “There will be no gala, I have made my point clear. We will only go to register it, and that will be all. Kae, you know that I’m yours. Please, let's drop this.”

“Why? Because you are uncomfortable with the knowledge we are discussing your grandfather’s plans to whore you out.”

Karl closed his eyes for a brief second trying to keep calm. There were multiple things at stake here and part of him tried to understand Kaecilius’ perspective. Had Kaecilius been in the same situation, he wasn’t sure what he would do, even if he liked to think that he would be rational about it. He would let it slide once and only once. He couldn’t say either way if he would be so nasty about it, but he tried to have some sympathy. Despite the anger bubbling under the surface of his emotions, he would try not to lash out.

“Would you rather be turned out onto the streets?” Karl finally said. 

For a man who earned all of his living off of Karl’s family, at least self preservation would appeal to Kaecilius. There was little else they could do, unless he wanted everything to disappear.

Both of them fell silent, unable to respond to Karl’s question. It was a possibility if things fell through, and all he could think about was that Stephen seemed to be in a similar position as him- bond or be dismissed from his position. Karl knew he would most likely not back out. 

Granted Karl had a lot more people depending on him, but Stephen had seemed very serious about being a doctor. It would make things easier for both of them. There would be no worry about divorcing or going through the painful procedure of unbonding. Later if it came to that, of course he would, but that would be a many great years away. There would be no threat of it before Stephen was finished with his years of residency.

He tried not to think about his future mate too much, especially since his chosen was right in front of him. Even if he was a bit sore about the whole ordeal, he was still Karl’s love. 

Wrapping his arms around Kaecilius, he pressed a kiss upon the man’s cheek. Kaecilius surprised him by guiding him around from one side and urging him to sit in Kaecilius’ lap, to which he readily complied. Although they would not share Karl’s next heat together, they could still have now and the next day, and every day until his heat if they wanted. 

Karl needed to lighten the mood, and he knew Kaecilius would not be the one to make the first move.

“Kae, I don’t like it when you're mad at me,” Karl said sheepishly.

He said it in that tone that he knew Kaecilius liked. 

“One of these days I’ll have to put you over my knee.”

For a fraction of a second he pondered if that were a clue or hint, but as Kaecilius made no move, he also felt no need to move. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t done this kind of thing before. 

“Please?”

“Today you need something more. I can tell it.”

There was always that little glint of danger in Kaecilius’ eyes that caused Karl’s heart to beat a little faster. Sometimes he wondered where it came from, as he had always been so gentle with Karl, even in these games. Yet he always knew that his grandfather and mother always tried to steer him away from Kaecilius, even managing to scare Karl off talking to the man until just after his nineteenth birthday.

“What do you have in mind?” Karl asked.

In what must have been a bit of effort, he managed to pick Karl up just long enough to move him onto Karl’s bed nearby, tossing him down with a soft thud against the downy covers. Climbing over him, Kaecilius had that lazy smile plastered on his face that told him that Kae was in a better mood, and all Karl could do was submit to the man’s whims the best he could. As he stretched his arms over his head, Kaecilius captured them with his hands and bit at Karl’s neck as if he could claim Karl. There was an edge and aggression to it that was intoxicating. It enthralled him to the point that Karl could forget Kaecilius would not be the one to bond with him. For now he could live in his fantasy, and hopefully Kaecilius would learn to forgive him with time. 

 

.oOo.

 

They had decided to meet at Stephen’s current residence, a small shared apartment space located on a block that was close to Columbia University in the Morningside Heights area of the city. His roommates were out and Karl would feel safe at a place that put enough distance between him and his mother so that he wouldn't accidentally run into her. He didn’t need her meddling in this like she did everything else. To him, this was the most sensitive part of their negotiations, and he didn’t need his mother or the matchmaker to be involved in talking about his heat and bonding. That was private matter.

When he walked into the cramped space for the first time, he immediately understood why Stephen hadn’t said anything about not moving into the townhouse. It was interesting to see how others lived, but this was a bit extreme. Books, papers, clothes, wrappers, pots and pans laid around the apartment haphazardly, and he was pretty sure it hadn’t been cleaned in a few weeks if not months.

Following Stephen into what he assumed acted as the living room, it was tight like the rest of the apartment, but cleaner and housed a tv with a small sofa. It would have been cozy had it not been for the fact that the sofa was perhaps a meter and a half away from the television. Thankfully, they were not there to watch t.v.

“We don’t really live here. The library is our home. This is just where we sleep.”

Karl nodded, trying to tame the stunned expression on his face. It was painfully obvious how surprising it all was, and he reminded himself that this was not the way a guest should act in another’s house.

“Why did you want to meet again?” Stephen asked.

“Yes, the timing of it all. You need everything done quickly, and I do as well. I figure the paperwork is easy, but the  _ other thing _ , is a bit more complicated.”

Looking confused for a moment, Stephen's expression quickly changed when he realized what Karl was hinting at.

“Sorry, I’m tired. Yes, the bonding. Tell me what week it is and I will get it off as part of leave if I’ve started at the hospital.”

His heart felt a little heavy, his palms sweaty, and he was anxious about the whole thing when he thought about it. Bureaucracy at its finest, and Karl couldn’t help but hate the system. 

“It should be the third week in September,” Karl said softly, “After the paperwork is through, then you can move in, but I need time to organize things.”

Stephen suddenly shifted in his chair, prompting Karl to sit up straighter. There was something wrong, and Karl held his breath, hoping that the man was not making a move to call it off. 

“I’ve done many things, but I never spent a heat with someone before,” Stephen confessed.

“Really?”

It was hard to believe as most Alphas he had known in his life always went around bragging about how easy it was to get Omegas. This man seemed no different than the others.

“Why would I lie?”

Karl shrugged. People did odd things quite frequently. 

“I haven’t shared my heat with an Alpha before,” Karl responded, turning his head away quickly afterward.

It only felt right to share since Stephen had been honest with him, but he didn’t feel the need to inform Stephen that it was mostly due to the lack of chances. When he was younger, and before he had taken up with Kaecilius, he had wondered what it would have been like. He always read stories about what was to him the mythical like knot. People would write about it on the newly formed internet, or whisper about it in the common areas of the private boarding school he had gone to, but he had yet to see one in person. At the school, Omegas had been required to sequester themselves off from the others during their heats. Karl was always the dutiful student, knowing the wrath he would experience at home would far greater than what punishment the school would dole out.

“You’ve had sex though,” Stephen said, his mouth stretched into a wide grin.

“Yes! Not that it’s any of your business!” He responded reflexively.

Except that he did seem to need to know that. It would be both their business to know their past sexual histories as well as in addition to their clean bills of health. 

What Karl didn’t expect was what Stephen said next.

“It’ll be fine. I’ve taken a knot myself-”

“How is that even possible?” Karl blurted out, not even letting Stephen finish his thought.

Everyone knew that only during a heat could an Alpha perform in that way, and according to medical records, he was most definitely an Alpha. It was mind boggling to picture two Alphas together like that. Wouldn’t it have been painful or even dangerous?

“I know some researchers testing hormone replacements, other kinds therapies and other drugs. Why do you think I don’t smell like an Alpha?”

This man was bragging about doing this. It sounded professionally irresponsible and perhaps even illegal, but he was right; he didn’t smell like an Alpha or an Omega. He didn’t smell hardly of anything at all. The smell was like the smell of the park in winter with everything looking dead. It reminded him of wrapping his face up in a heavy scarf, muting nearly every sensation.

He felt the room become a little hotter as they continued their conversation, as if it was something he shouldn’t be privy too. Guilt also mixed with curiosity as thoughts of Kae slipped into his mind. Even with Kae’s best efforts, heats were always a little rough for him. At least Karl wasn’t alone anymore for them, even if it was difficult at times.

Biting his lip, he wanted to ask another question, but stopped himself. For some reason, he thought it would be impolite to continue with the conversation. However, Stephen had other ideas.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stop taking it near the heat and things should work well.”

“Well, that is good to hear. I won’t stand for going through two heats to bond.” He felt Stephen’s eyes fall on him suspiciously, and Karl quickly added, “I can’t receive my inheritance or continue with my education without medical verification that I am bonded.”

Stephen nodded at the explanation, knowing that entailed a physical examination and a blood test. 

For a minute they sat in silence, Stephen looking at him with a calm smile on his face and his body language screamed a laziness Karl rarely encountered in his day to day life. Stephen’s nonchalant manner contrasted with Karl’s physical stiffness- a habit from his upbringing. He had been taught about the proper ways of things. If he angered his grandfather or mother too much, he was punished for his disobedience, even if he had not been trying to be disobedient. They told him it was for his own good and his future prospects, but Karl knew it was only because they were living in the past century. Having had to flee Romania when he was just a toddler, he had a feeling they had brought the old ways and then some with them. 

If they had been in different circumstance, he would allow himself to become friendly with Stephen. He would allow himself to relax as well, but sadly this was purely business, and he knew that he would have to keep Stephen at arm's length if he didn’t want to create more problems in his relationship with Kae.

Saying that this was messy, was an understatement. 

As to why Stephen was not looking for a partner he could love or cherish, that was a mystery and none of his business. The man was a good catch despite his meager beginnings. On paper, he was smart and ambitious. In the flesh, he was tall, handsome, and had some semblance of basic manners, even if he was a little crass and came off as a bit rude at times. Surely he would be happier finding someone more suited for him. 

All he could think about was how there must be a secret in there somewhere. Something that kept him back from living a charmed life. Really, he could have it all, so why wasn’t he?

Smiling sadly, Karl looked at Stephen as an awkward lull settled between them. He had discussed what he wanted to discuss, and although he had nothing more to say, he felt it would be rude to just get up and leave. He would wait for Stephen to show him out, but the man made no move to change their status quo. 

“You’re wound up pretty tight, aren’t you?” Stephen asked.

God the man really was a bit rude at times. Although he understood they would be required to talk to one another, it wasn’t as if Stephen had to say everything he was thinking.

“I wasn’t brought up in a barn,” Karl responded with a bite to his tone.

“I wasn’t either, we kept animals in there. Granted my mother did threaten me a few times with making me sleep outside with the cows when I made her really mad.”

Stephen grinned widely, and Karl looked sheepishly away. He had forgotten Stephen had grown up on a farm. It was in his history, and now he worried that it seemed like Karl was rude one. 

“I didn’t mean to imply that.”

“I know. It’s just fun to watch you react. You’re quite expressive. I like that in a person, it means I can tell what you're thinking easier.”

Narrowing his eyes and pursing his mouth, it was not something that he wanted to hear. He knew that he didn’t have a very good poker face when it came to things, but he also didn’t like to be reminded of it. It was a personal fault of his, embarrassing him.

Nevertheless, he kept his mouth shut as Stephen fiddled with the cuffs on his shirt, pushing the sleeves up.

“Well, I’ll keep in touch,” Karl said, getting up from his seat.

It wasn’t comfortable to be sitting there and not knowing what to talk about. This was going to take a while to get used to; he secretly wished he had some point of reference beyond books on how to have a match like this.

Although he knew his mother had had an arranged bonding, his father had died so early on he couldn’t remember anything about the man. There was only a few professionally taken pictures in his house. All Karl knew from them was that he took after his father’s stature and his mother’s features. But he figured there was little love lost as she never spoke of him. Given her penchant for dramatics, it was from lack of love rather than devastation of losing a love. 

He wonder if it had been this hard for her, but he didn’t care enough to ask. It would be best not to engage with her if that was at all possible. Still he was curious- how does one try to have a loveless marriage?

As Stephen showed him out, he took one last look around knowing that his life would change drastically in the near future. 

 

.oOo.

 

They had done all of the paperwork a few weeks ago, and Stephen insisted on not moving in until the week of the heat, giving the excuse of that he was busy with work. He started at the hospital with proof of his marriage and upcoming bonding satisfying the requirements of his residency. Karl too was able to officially restart his studies now that he had an Alpha guardian. It had been an very embarrassing experience for him to have to do that, but even if it were an uncomfortable occurrence, it was not entirely unique. 

The only real problem that continually arose was the tension between himself and Kae, who was still put out by Karl’s arranged marriage and bonding. They had a few arguments, more heated than any they had before. The night before, Kaecilius went as far as to say that he was pushing the man out of his life, as if there was an alternative way. Karl tried, but sometimes it was so hard; everything exhausted him.

Stephen moved in with very little to his name. It had been surprising that he had only needed one car ride to pack in everything, and after Karl gave him a tour, he settled in his room on the second floor. It was on the other side of the building away from Karl’s on the third floor. They needed to put some space between them. Keys were given along with instructions that had been typed up. There were rooms that were to be untouched and times where Stephen was discouraged from roaming about the house. The latter being more of a suggestion as Karl knew doctors kept odd hours, and he only did it because he didn’t want any confrontations with Kaecilius from occurring. Kaecilius was already on edge, and he was positive that things would not end well if they were to meet.

The first day of Stephen’s ‘vacation’ as Stephen kept referring to it as, was spent with the two of them making sure Stephen got settled. They bought a few new things that his room was lacking and some things that would make it feel more like home than the empty guest room that it had been.

Long ago, when his grandfather hosted clients from far away there had always been people coming in and out, but from a few years before that room had been very quiet. There were things that Karl had yet to find out about the family business, having no say in it until the will was carried out. He knew there were secrets though. There had to be given the lack of information. 

Now with the room sorted, they tried to get used to one another, for the sake of the bonding. 

Karl’s first impressions of Stephen Strange proved to be wrong. Although he was a bit awkward with his humor, boisterous, and arrogant in many ways, he was rather quiet as well. He was studious in ways that Karl could never be, preferring to read journal publications in the evening instead of any other activity people normally did. And even if Karl did prefer reading as well, it was never something so heavy after a busy day. He always enjoyed something lighter.

As they sat in the living room, Karl couldn’t help but keep looking at the man. He was growing more handsome the more and more he looked at Stephen, but there was also a weariness that hid underneath his expression. Especially in his eyes, there was something else. It was odd. 

They hadn’t actually talked about their personal histories with everything written on the page of the file they were given. He knew that if either one probed deeper, they would be opening up wounds. Both understood that neither one of them had a right to do that, and probably never would. This was out of convenience, and many of the things written in that folder he compiled for Wong were things not even Kae knew. Now he was to spill all of this out to a stranger? He thought not. There were things in Stephen’s history too that had been not easy to read about, even if they lacked the details.

So they sat in silence, not knowing what to say even if they could start a conversation. From the looks of it Stephen lived for his job and his job only. There were no clubs or activities listed in his file outside of those related to his major. Even his books he had brought were on subjects related to science, except for some on music. He seemed to like rock and pop music a lot, something Karl had very little experience with. Not wanting to seem like a fool, he hadn’t mentioned it. He knew how square he must seem to the other man, who had already remarked upon his stiffness and prude outward nature. Plus it would be awkward for him to suddenly start probing the man with such a cheesy line as ‘so, I guess you like music?’.

He felt frustrated by the atmosphere and situation, wanting to change it but not knowing how to go about it. Instead, he could only wait patiently for Stephen to start. Surely the man wanted the same thing he did- to make their bonding go smoother than some clinical experiment of sorts.

Yet, they didn’t talk. It seemed the man was dead serious about not forming attachments to one another, and it was surprising to Karl. He was fairly certain Stephen had no one else in his life. He had not even had one phone call since they had moved in, while Karl had a few. Maybe most of his calls were not from close friends, but still he had some. 

So they didn’t talk that first night. Instead Karl retired to his bedroom with little fanfare, only baiding Stephen goodnight. As he waited for the clock to strike midnight, he listened to the sounds of the house, but no sounds could be heard. No squeaks, or footsteps, or even the sounds of closing doors. He couldn’t be certain if Stephen had gone to bed or not. Most likely he was still awake, but he was so quiet, unlike his mother and grandfather had been.

His mother had left the week before for Europe once Karl had finished all the requirements outside of bonding, satisfied that her future would be secure. In moments of weakness he had contemplated throwing it all away, but he knew that not only his mother depended on him, but Kae as well. Oh how he wished that it were different and he would be allow just to marry whomever he pleased.

He sighed thinking about the mess they were in, but was soon surprised by the creak of his door opening. For a second, he thought it may have been Stephen- lost or needing something. No, it was Kaecilius. 

Kae put his finger to his lips with a smile. It was unexpected, given that he had told Kae to stay away for the week. He had yet to tell Stephen about his own lover, even if he thought the man probably guessed at it already. Like Stephen observed before, he didn’t have much of a poker face, and he probably gave it away that day they talked about their past experiences.

“My dear, I couldn’t stay away for a whole week, and I figure visiting earlier rather than latter was more appropriate.”

Karl sat in his bed with his book, unsure on how to respond. Neither mad nor happy, he could only feel numbness when he thought about Kae disregarding his wishes. Seconds seemed like minutes as Kae took his time shucking off his clothes before climbing into bed; practically pinning Karl down as he aggressively demanded a kiss. It always happened this way when Karl was near his heat, and although Kae was no Alpha, he also seemed to be insatiable right before. Tonight, it felt different though, and Karl knew that he was in a way trying to stake a claim before his bonding.

Part of him wondered if Kae was a bit like Stephen, maybe on something to alter his chemistry despite him still being physically Beta. It truly shocked him that day that he heard that. After researching it though, it seemed there were some people involved in that kind of thing for various reasons, not all of them innocent.

Still, when Kae did that trick with his tongue, he couldn't help but squirm with delight and groaned in response. Eventually he pushed Kae off of him to breathe. Something deep inside him also worried they would make too much noise despite being a floor and many rooms away from both Stephen’s room and the living room. The town house was old, but the floors left little to the imagination. 

“Stephen is downstairs.”

Kae stopped at that, sitting up abruptly.

“Stephen?” 

“Yes, that is his name. What would you rather me call him?”

“Why not just say your husband?”

The jealousy flattered him the first few times they did this, but not after the tenth time. Karl huffed in anger, sick of this.

“Strange.”

“Not as strange as I wish it be. You two are married.”

“No, that is his surname. If you wish, I will use his surname, but you must drop this now,” Karl pleaded.

Kaecilius seemed to be appeased by this suggestion for the time being, but any desire to actually sleep with the man had been killed by his little fit. Karl nudged him off and threw the covers over himself in order to signal that whatever Kae came for, he was not going to get anything besides rest. In all honestly, Karl was being generous with even that offer. This time Kae did not protest, pout, or try to get Karl back on his good side and quietly laid next to him. His mood also probably ruined by their exchange.

Sleep did not come easily in his irritated state, but it did come. When he awoke, Kae was gone. Karl sighed deeply, not happy with the outcome or even Kae’s visit. He too was quite stressed by the whole prospect of bonding, but wasn’t going to take it out on others. 

Getting ready for the day, he felt even more annoyed about Kae’s antics from the night before as he thought about it deeper. His mood was quite sour until he went down to the kitchen and found Stephen inside cooking breakfast. They hadn’t talked about this kind of thing, but it seemed that Stephen had made enough for both of them, and he felt a little better than when he first awoke. It was common courtesy, but people following standard social graces in his life was a rare occurrence these days. 

“I hope you like eggs and pancakes. It’s about the only thing I know how to make without burning down the house.”

He never ate those sort of things usually, but made an agreeable noise all the same. Although he had an aristocratic title, he had been taught that his place was at the bottom, and he should be grateful for what he had. He didn’t really believe it, but the lesson of being grateful had stuck with him over the years. 

“Erm, I just wanted to ask, do other people live here? I believe they listed this as your mother’s permanent residence. I hate to ask, but you know, if there is a break in or something.”

“You heard footsteps last night I’m guessing? Yes, well there is an explanation for that. My mother is currently in Europe, but one of my grandfather’s associates stays from time to time,” he once again decided against revealing the exact nature of their relationship. “His name is Kaecilius and if I were you, I would recommend that you stay away from him if you can. He’s not very friendly and is overly protective of me. He’s worked with my family for quite some time. Since I was a teenager in fact.”

“Uh, okay. I’ll try to keep out of his hair.”

Stephen obviously seemed startled by the warning, which was what Karl had hoped to accomplish. It had been confusing how much he should reveal, but in the end all Stephen need to know was that Kaecilius was a fixture in the house and that he would not be agreeable if they met in the halls or another room. 

“If you wish to have guests, you may. Just please inform me beforehand,” Karl told him.

Turning off the burner and looking at Karl, Stephen smirked. It was a bit unnerving how he kept doing that; ever so slyly like he had a secret he was keeping. Everyone had secrets, but why did the man look like that almost every time Karl looked at him? It was perplexing. 

“You assume I’m likable enough to have people who would want to stay with me.”

“Well, you do have family.”

That took the smile off of Stephen’s face quick enough. It looked like Karl hit a nerve.

“Yes, but we don’t get along.”

“I know that feeling.”

Now it was Karl’s turn to smirk. There was something comforting on hearing that even though on paper Stephen’s family looked perfect, he came from a very normal family. It made him a little more real to Karl, rather than a preconceived idea of an Alpha. If he were honest with himself, Stephen was an interesting person and if it had been possible he would have like to get to know him more. Only that feeling was also accompanied with a deep seated fear of his present life colliding with his past if he let Stephen in too much. That was something he would like to avoid at all cost.

As they ate their breakfast in silence, Karl forgot about his troubles from the night before. The food made him feel happy and he barely even noticed Stephen getting up after finishing his up. The man ate surprisingly fast. 

“I’ve got some research to catch up on. I'll probably just stick to my room or the study most of the day.”

Karl nodded, stuffing the last of the pancake in his mouth. He too needed to work, but he was starting to feel the familiar signs of his impending heat. First it was fatigue and muscle stiffness. Tension in various places around his body told him that it would probably come in a day or so. It was not ideal for him to be so lax with his routine, but he figured this time would be harder on him than most. Especially with the increased anxiety, his nerves would probably be shot half way through if he did not rest. 

That is what he did, barely doing anything beyond that. Time passed quickly as he indulged in a good book in a chair in the living room. Slowly, more and more signs of his approaching heat appeared, such as chills and internal rumblings that mimicked digestional issues. 

It was never quick nor easy, but thankfully only happened three times a year. 

In the evening, things started to feel worse, and he didn’t move about very much. Only when Stephen came looking for him around dinner time did he decide that he should do something about his current state. Refusing dinner, he went up to his rooms, telling Stephen he would rest, but that it wouldn't be much longer. 

Stephen looked at him without any expression, guarded, and Karl knew that it was because he was as nervous as Karl felt. The few conversations between them seemed scarcely sufficient for their upcoming experience in Karl’s eyes. After they were bonded they would cease to be able to pretend that their lives were not intertwined. 

That was a scary thought as he crawled under the covers, especially since thoughts of Kaecilius also always lingered in the back of his mind. 

Eventually he heard the door open, and this time he knew it was Stephen. There would hopefully be no surprises that night. 

“Are you?”

“No, not yet, but…” 

Karl sat up, clothed in pajamas and quite shy about the state he was in. At this point he must reek of his scent, an important part of the process. This was the first time he would sleep with someone other than Kae, and the first time with an Alpha. 

To say he was nervous was an understatement. All the delusions that it would be a normal heat flew out the window when he took a deep breath in, smelling Stephen. He smelled a bit like Christmas really, like bit of smoke from a fire intertwined with the scent of pine. 

It was the smells of warmth and comfort. Just lovely.

“You smell so nice. I don’t understand why you hide it,” Karl said softly.

Stephen climbed into his bed next to him after removing all of his clothes except his underwear and white undershirt. 

“Do you know what people do when they are first introduced to someone? They say hello, then they take a deep breath in through their nose, smelling the person they just met. It’s reflexive, but as a doctor I don’t want to broadcast that information. People don’t want Alpha surgeons. They think we’re too brash and scapple happy, wanting to cut aggressively, because that’s what we are aren’t we? We’re Alpha’s after all.”

There was a bitterness in his voice that was shocking to hear. Karl had not thought about it before, because he wouldn’t care as long as the doctor was competent. Thinking upon it deeper though, he could understand the point that was being made. As an Omega, he too was bound to stereotypes, only they weren’t in his career. Most of them had come from his family and conservative education, something he always hated. 

“If you could be born again, wouldn’t you want to be born as a Beta?” Stephen asked quietly.

“No.”

It was the honest answer. He liked being himself, and that included being an Omega. Even if the heats were terrible at times, and he was forced into this farce of a marriage, he wouldn’t change it. If he had been born a Beta, he may even be in worse predicament with his grandfather’s obsession about carrying on the family name, making him marry a woman instead. No, he felt blessed to born an Omega.

“I find it hard to believe. You know in past 50 years, Alpha and Omega births have decreased by 20%? They still don’t know exactly why, as it’s not only attributed to  breeding patterns and frequency of estrus cycles. Biologically, we don’t matter anymore.”

This was an uncomfortable topic for Karl, but obviously the other man had some passion for it.

“If only I were born 200 years in the future,” he sighed.

“The human race may be dead by then,” Karl joked.

Stephen smiled a brilliant smile at him, obviously amused. 

“We can only hope.”

That in turn made him smile. There was something quite nice with the humor in his expressions. It put him a bit more at ease about what would be happening.

Almost on cue his body gave a throb, and he felt the familiar sensation of slick between his bottom’s cheeks, slowly moving towards the material that separate his skin from the bedding. He readjusted his position so that was more comfortable, feeling a bit embarrassed. Looking over at Stephen, he saw the man was trying to be diplomatic with his expression, but Karl could tell he was fighting it more and more with each moment. A pang of sadness hit him as he realized that Stephen probably was scared about losing some control over himself with it being his first time with an Omega. 

Karl sighed softly and put his hand to Stephen’s face in what he hoped was a gentle reassuring gesture.

“Relax, it will be fine. It will be okay. Here.”

He figured he would have to be the one to teach Stephen, and he took Stephen’s hand in his. As he brought Stephen's hand to his hip, there was a brief moment where their eyes met. The way Stephen looked at him, his face flushed and surprised, made him feel a bit more empowered than what he felt with Kaecilius. It made separating himself from impending reality a little easier.

Karl moved closer toward Stephen so he could smell Karl better. Then there was that deep breath Stephen took in, a reflex, something even Kae did during his heats. Beta, Omega, Alpha, it didn’t matter which you were, the smell of an Omega was comforting. He knew that Stephen would react the same way. Slowly, the tension left his body as Karl felt Stephen relax against him, pressing himself into Karl’s embrace. It could almost be described as friendly like, if it weren’t for the fact that Stephen’s hands were taking off his pajama bottoms with his boxer briefs in one motion. Stephen was succumbing to his more basic instincts, and Karl too started to feel different. Unlike all those times before, there was a slight buzz in the back of his head, an aphrodisiac of sorts, pulling him into a complacency and a different kind of need. It wasn’t the normal need of relief that would leave him scratching at Kae, trying to get to that point that never seemed to come. No, this was a need of burning lust; not for the man pressed against him, but for the smells, his cock, and the bite that was sure to come after.

Groaning as Stephen grasped Karl’s cock in one hand, Karl neglected to pay attention to the other one until he felt a finger run through slick and tease his hole, making him jerk a little out of surprise and a little out of desire for more. Karl had to admit he was good with his hands. And when one of those long fingers slipped in, eager to draw noises from his partner, it almost drove him mad. He grabbed at Stephen’s cock, half out of his mind with the need to feel the place where his knot was; a knot that would soon expand inside him to lock him in as his own body clamped down to ensure completion. 

Thinking about his end goals, he barely noticed as Stephen sucked playfully at his neck, like a vampire preparing to feast. Karl was too busy fucking himself on Stephen’s fingers to really pay attention, angling his hips to ensure that they were rubbing against his prostate. Nothing mattered anymore. Only the knot mattered at this moment. Stephen added another finger, but he didn’t feel full enough as it wasn’t the cock in his hand. He keened in response, surprising Stephen. 

“You can’t wait, can you?”

“Need. Now.”

It was unbecoming of him, but the words left his mouth before he had enough sense to care. Any thoughts about right, proper, or common sense were out the door after another minute or so. Karl told Stephen to remove his fingers right before he aggressively pushed the man on his back after making sure that he would not be hurting the other man. Their bodies practically moved in in synchronized motions by this point, and soon enough Karl was guiding Stephen’s cock to his well stretched hole. It was hard not to rush things, but he vaguely remembered stories of Omegas moving too fast and breaking their Alpha’s cocks. That was the last thing he wanted. He needed, craved the knot that was coming, and would do nothing to jeopardize that. 

It felt fantastic when Stephen was finally inside him. Only for a brief moment did he stop to sigh at the feeling of it before he began to ride Stephen and hard. That itch that never seemed to be scratched with Kae was most definitely scratched now. 

He placed his hands upon Stephen’s chest, the tips of his fingers digging in and running over the flesh, leaving marks of red but no scratches. He was so close; his body felt the rush of his blood pressure spiking and he threw his head back before making a guttural sound that was only reserved for the most intense of his orgasms.

His channel throbbed as the knot began to expand inside him, and he cried out in his native tongue that Stephen needed to keep fucking him, before he realized he wasn’t speaking English.

“Fuck me, damn you,” he growled.

Stephen obliged readily until he could no longer move inside Karl. As he became closer to their goal, he barely noticed the teeth on his neck, measuring and lining up so that nothing would be damaged except the flesh. 

Then, there was a moment where he saw only darkness with little sparks. Pain and pleasure assaulted his senses as he realized that it was nearly finished. Reflexively gasping for air when his body realized it hadn’t taken a breath since Stephen had bit down breaking the skin, bonding them, he knew his body had been irrevocably changed. It felt unreal in many ways. As he panted, looking down at the man he was now bonded too, there was a sadness that settled over him. 

The most unsettling part of it was how good it had felt and still felt. The slight pulse of blood ran through their veins, making where they were connected together throb in a sensation that was unfamiliar to him. Stephen’s knot engorged and fitting with him in such a way that made his whole body sing, was an indescribable feeling. And Stephen just seemed keep cumming for longer than he could have predicted.

Finally coming down off of his high, he pressed close to Stephen, who in turn held him. He closed his eyes for a second, exhausted from the experience, but found that when he opened them again, he had slept. Now Stephen was sleeping next to him, having arranged him and cleaned them both up. He felt a bit embarrassed about it, not really understanding why he had fallen asleep on top and still connected to Stephen. Maybe it was the comfort of it all. 

As he looked upon Stephen, he noticed Stephen looked so tired and weak. It was completely opposite of the man who had come barging in Wong’s conference room late that day and obviously with a good reason. It was one reason his mother didn’t put up a fight. She said he looked strong enough to handle anything Karl might throw at him. 

There was something inherently good about Stephen, even if he had a lot of unpolished edges. He guessed if he had to be bonded to an Alpha he would want it to be with such a man, but his heart ached a little thinking those sort of things, as Kae was his love. 

At some point, Stephen woke with a soft, sheepish smile on his face.

“That was pretty good wasn’t it,” he mumbled.

“It was surprisingly pleasant.”

“Glad to hear I’ve impressed you so much,” he joked. 

“This is only the beginning. We have three more days of this,” Karl replied with caution.

Stephen had no idea how difficult it would become, and although their bodies would do most of the work, the exhaustion would take a toll on their minds as well. Always coming together to break apart was not ideal, especially since they wished to separate their emotions from the physical. It would be hard with those eyes looking at him for guidance through this.

“How do you manage before?” Stephen asked exasperatedly.

“Normally with patience and the strength to endure.”

He wasn’t about to start lying and paint a rosy picture that was just not true. There were many heats that were difficult to bear, but there was no choice. Although Stephen seemed to have found a way around being labeled an Alpha, there was no legal, safe way to suppress heats, only wives tales of remedies.

Karl liked being an Omega, but he wouldn’t mind if he got rid of heats, especially since Kaecilius was often away in the daytime. There had been a couple of times he nearly broke the door down waiting for the man to come back. Tears flowed out of him faster than water leaking from a faucet at those times.

“I don’t envy you,” Stephen said softly.

“At times I don’t either.”

“Will it get more intense?” Stephen asked.

He sounded almost intimidated.

“Yes.”

For him, the next day would be the hardest, requiring more energy as normally getting to orgasm was more difficult and they lasted much longer, with shorter frequency of breaks in between.

The next round though was similar to the first, except for the fact that he had created a bonding mark for Stephen, a requirement for his residency. It came naturally and despite his worried that he would miscalculated the bite, he managed to do it correctly. The orgasm from it was also glorious, as Stephen was a little more confident and driven a bit madder with lust than before. The alteration of physical chemistry had been a glorious thing.

Then by the third round, their bodies seemed to be in sync, even if their hearts were not. With both of them fully bonded to one another, it increased pleasure nearly two fold, their blood altered and their lust feeding off of their now intertwined scents. 

And so it went, on and on for the next two days. When it was finished, they both rested for a while before going their separate ways; practically wordlessly due to their exhaustion. 

When Kae came the night following his heat, there was a coldness to him that wasn’t there before. Karl, too tired to care to stroke his ego, simply curled up on his side of the bed, hoping that it would pass soon. 

Instead he dreamt of his fingers beneath Stephen’s reddened chest, and the feeling of warmth inside him. He slept well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any misrepresentation of the health field from here on out is done for dramatic purpose. ^^;


	3. Alpha Stephen Strange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: This chapter contains very brief volence and 2 very minor character deaths (If you know about the comics, it will not be a surprise.)
> 
> See the end notes for details on the warnings.

Once he was back on the medication he had been taking to mask his scent, Stephen felt a lot more comfortable with going back to work and walking around in general. The medication he was taking was actually a legal prescription, and even though he bragged about knowing people making synthetic hormones, he would never jeopardize his career in such away. For others around him, that was their business and he did not care what they did. He did know where to get some if he ever needed it though.

The medicine he was taking was a specific prescription of non-drowsy antihistamine to treat his hay fever. When he took it for the first time, he had found that he was susceptible to one of the less common side effects: the decrease of scent production from his scent glands. The side effects were not dangerous as far as the medical community was aware, but it did cause minor itching from time to time at the gland, especially in dry weather. It was a minor irritant for what he considered a beneficial side effect.

Frankly, he was thankful that he had accidentally stumbled upon the solution when he was in the first year of being an undergrad student. He found that his life became much more bearable. People stopped looking at him as much, and potential partners were less intimidated by him, as they had assumed he was an ultra aggressive Alpha. Given his height and sharp features, people's preconceptions on the kind of person he was had been a problem in his late teens, causing others to challenge him when he only wanted to get by. All he wanted was to be left alone.

Really life was quite good after his bonding with Karl. Work was interesting, he had a place to live where he wasn’t living on top of other people, and Karl was nice enough. He was polite and charming, but still distant enough where it was easy for him to ignore the man without worry. Even though at times he caught himself wondering about his bonded, he tried to keep his focus on his goals. It was a good match.

The actual house was interesting to say the least. He liked it, and felt lucky to live in such a place, but it had a sterile feel to it. It was so very unlike his childhood home for all the good points and bad points that his childhood home possessed. Karl’s home reminded him of the hospital. There were no family pictures, the furniture was nice but minimalistic in design, and there was always the faint smell of cleaning supplies. He saw a maid in the house every so often even though she never touched his rooms. Occasionally he thought about asking if she could clean his bathroom, but decided against it. It was awkward for someone to be around his personal things. He spent his whole life guarding himself from others that to let someone in felt alien to him.

Luckily the house was big enough where he had yet to run into Karl’s boyfriend. Despite never seeing one another, he had heard the man come late in the night frequently. The boyfriend’s footsteps were very different from Karl’s: their rhythym loud and confident as opposed to soft and steady.

Stephen couldn’t be a hundred percent sure, but he guessed that the man was not an Alpha and that was why Karl had entered into their farce of a marriage. In some ways, Stephen thought it was sad not to be free to marry this person that Karl obviously cared about. But if he thought about it more, the more curious it was. Most others would just break it off and look for another fish in the vast sea, even if the pain was a great burden at first. Karl instead chose the harder path, and the more selfish part of him rejoiced in this predicament as he had benefited from these archaic practices, even if they continued to hold him back in many ways. He had lucked out and now he could rest easy.

Stephen went on with life as if he never mated. Only there was one thing left to do to fully rid himself of any commitment of their bonding and that was to submit documents of proof of their bonding to the matchmaker so Wong could forward the documents to their respective places. It was an extra service that was provided to them and it would save both him and Karl some time.

He had an appointment with Wong that day to give him his and Karl’s medical reports. At first he had gotten off on the wrong foot with the taciturn man- his jokes falling flat. Stephen felt a bit nervous about their meeting. They agreed to meet during Stephen’s lunch break at a cafe around the corner from the hospital. It was a quiet place, unlike the Starbucks across the street, and he found Wong was waiting for him when he got there. For once, Stephen was not late, but Wong had come early anyway, making him check his wrist watch once again.

As Stephen sat down after getting his coffee, he put the brown envelope with the papers in it on the table before sighing. Wong looked at him with that same dead expression that he normally had. It was amazing how he could unnerve Stephen with a mere glance.

“Everything is in order and should satisfy various requirements. Karl sends his thanks and regards.”

“I’m surprised you two are on a first name basis,” Wong quipped.

Unsure if it were a joke or not, Stephen laughed. He knew everything happened between them much quicker than normal, and Karl really did seem to be too proper at times.

“Well, bonding puts formalities on hold, at least I would think so. What else would I call him? Your Grace?”

Wong snorted, “It’s my Lord, but he’s not English, so I can’t be certain. You’re pretty uneducated in some respects Strange, even if you are intelligent.”

Stephen smiled.

“It’s Stephen. Also, who cares about titles in this day and age, except those who romanticize the past. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? People who want to keep the past as the present? The vicious cycle of the snake eating it’s own tail.”

“I have a feeling we're no longer talking about the proper titles of European gentry,” Wong chided.

He put up his hand before Stephen could object or interrupt, “I agree with you Strange, but I find it odd how you’ve entered into such a marriage. It’s very old fashioned. Something of my grandparents generation.”

“This is just my personal choice. I don’t think everyone should do this like me.”

Wong relaxed a bit into his chair, an amused expression on his face. This was actually fun for Stephen. The first fun he had in a long time and surprisingly it wasn’t in pursuit of someone. It had been a while since he felt such a thing. There was always something preventing him from making good friends easily, but he felt like Wong could potentially become one of those people. The man was easy to talk to and although he stated his opinions readily, he didn’t try to hide his judgements either. The frankness was refreshing.

“I’m curious, and since I have these papers and technically you are no longer a client- What possessed you anyways?”

Stephen smiled sadly.

“That’s complicated, but the main reason is that I can’t become the best surgeon if I’m besotted with someone; someone who would only distract me from what I need to do. People are needy when in love, and why break someone's heart like that? Thankfully it seems that Karl has someone anyways. It makes it easier.”

Wong looked like he didn’t fully believe him, and he was right in doing that. He wasn’t about to be completely forward with all of his thoughts and feelings. Even if they became the bestest of friends, his heart contained secrets that no one else would ever be privy to.

There was also that glint of disapproval in his eyes that Stephen had seen from one of his roommates whom Stephen had trusted with the information. Stephen ignored it for the moment. Not everyone would approve, and he knew that.

“Okay. I get it, but you may find yourself in  more difficult circumstances than you bargained for and that disturbs me. Especially now I know there’s another involved. In the end it is your choice, but I do not like putting people in these kinds of situations.”

Stephen was a bit surprised about Wong’s hesitation and honesty. He actually seemed worried, which touched Stephen in a weird way. Although they were practically strangers, there was something about the other man’s consideration that was very comforting.

“Thank you for your concern and all, but I’ll survive. I’m an adult.”

“Strange- Marriage is hard enough without added complications. This is not the 1800s’ where one is only expected to produce a few children and keep house.”

“Are you married?” Stephen asked with a quirk of his brow and mouth.

“No. I would not wish such a punishment upon my potential spouse.”

Stephen laughed a good laugh, causing Wong to smirk. He hesitated for a moment, hearing the timer on his watch go off. Pressing the button to stop it, he sighed.

“Look, I have to go back to the hospital, but let’s get some coffee when you’re free again.”

Wong nodded as Stephen got up.

It seemed a bit silly, but he was quite happy exiting the cafe as he didn’t have many friends in the city. All of his friends back home seemed to have moved on, and he didn’t really care to keep in touch with any of them. They were mostly what he thought of as situational friends- people to pass the time with in high school. Since coming to New York, the only person he met regularly was his former roommate Nic, another med student in his program. Always coming in second behind him, they had an odd sort of rivalry between them, but thankfully they could also grab a beer together occasionally as well.

As he headed back towards the hospital, he was thinking about asking Nic to hang out after work when his phone rang. Looking at the caller ID reading “HOME”, he groaned. There was no way that he would be answering that. Turning it off, he entered the door ready to continue his shift.

.oOo.

Coming home inebriated from a bar around the corner from the hospital, Stephen felt like shit and probably looked like shit as well. It was three in the morning and thankfully he had the next couple days off before beginning a string of terrible shifts. He must have royally pissed off someone in his past life to get assigned such a schedule. Swearing as he crashed around in the halls, he stopped for a moment, pressing his forehead against the wall for a moment, trying to get the nausea to go away. He really should not have drank as much tequila as he had, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. It had been fun while each one went down and he felt free of the constraints on his life.

The wall was cooler than he expected and the pause was welcomed until he started hearing things. There were sounds coming from down near the kitchen. Someone or something was in the room, and he stumbled along curious as to whom or what. Who could possibly be in the kitchen at this hour? His befuddled mind immediate jumped to wild conclusions, like an intruder or a stray animal that found its ways inside. City animals always had seemed a little more savvy than he had expected, and he knew that there were raccoons that roamed the streets.

A clang of pans made him jump and stop in his tracks. When it was followed by a familiar low moan, he recoiled. It was Karl, and the moan was most definitely of a sexual nature. It was surprising for a second or two, but not that surprising when he had a moment for his brain to catch up with the situation. He knew Karl had a boyfriend. This was his house, his kitchen, and he had the freedom to do as he pleased.

It was a bit jarring to hear that voice like that again. Stephen and Karl had occasionally talked after the heat they shared, but it was cordial, casual; it was as if they were classmates working on a group project. This though brought him back to that heat a little more than two weeks ago. He felt his face go red as he listen to another sexualized sound escape the kitchen. Breathing in deeply, he could smell Karl’s scent that lingered upon the object near by.

Hugging the wall, he went to and up the stairs as quickly as his addled mind allowed. Stephen replayed the night of their bonding in his head. It had been the best sex of his life, even if it was also the hardest sex he had ever had in his life. Reflecting upon it, he wouldn’t do it again if he had a choice. There was an emptiness with him as he knew he would never have the chance again. If he traveled back in time, he couldn't put himself in that position now with all that he knew.

Stumbling into bed, he didn’t even take off his clothes and quickly fell asleep.

When he woke the next morning right before noon, he somehow managed to climb out of bed in spite of his stomach doing flips and his head feeling like it had been hit by a large object. Stephen didn’t want to get up, but he needed to piss and figured he should drink some water. Only he didn’t trust New York City water enough to retrieve and drink some from the bathroom, and that meant he would have to go to the kitchen to get water.

As he made his way down the stairs and to the kitchen, vague recollections of what happened last night came flooding back: the moans from Karl and the desire coming from within him. At the time he hadn’t recognized it as such, but now he knew it to be so. He wanted Karl or sex; he wasn’t quite sure which one he had been focusing on.

Wong had been right, there would be complications. All he could do was squash any feelings from developing further. It must be only physiological- a reflection of hormones from the one time. The two hadn’t known each other long enough for it to be beyond that. How could he have feelings for someone whom he maybe had talked to a few hours at most between the days of sex and weeks of silence? It was illogical and as a doctor he knew better that to believe in fairytales such as destined lovers or love at first sight.

Groaning from all of it- the pain in his head and from his idiocy, he finally stumbled into the kitchen and got himself a glass of water from the filtered picture. It felt good going down, but it seemed that his stomach wanted to argue with its temperature. It threatened to come up again.

Closing his eyes, he sat for a while trying to will his hangover away. He knew he should go take some aspirin, but he couldn't be bothered. Everything seemed pretty rough this morning, and it only got worse as Stephen heard his ringtone go off. Since he hadn’t changed out of his clothes from the last night, his phone was still in his pocket. He knew who it was before he picked up. Internally, he braced himself for it.

“Yea, Vic?”

“You forgot how a phone works, _Stevie_? You haven’t returned any of my calls.”

“I was busy.”

His brother Victor was pissed at him, a normal state for him ever since his sister’s drowning. With their Mother's death a few years later, Vic’s hate for Stephen intensified. “We need more money for dad's meds. Send some today.”

More nagging, but at least he got right to the point this time.

“I’ll try.”

“Don’t try. Do it. You go run off and leave me here to take care of Dad, and you can’t get your shit together long enough to send some money?”

The familiar rant was coming on, and if Stephen hadn’t been hung over, he might dish some of it back. Instead, being the big brother he was, he decided to take it for now. Vic had gotten the raw end of things as well. While Stephen would forever be the brother that let their sister die, Vic was forced into the role of caretaker for their ailing parent. On top of school, it was harder for him in some ways, but Stephen had a lot of responsibilities, too.

“Fine. I will send money today. Don’t worry. Just make sure he gets to his next appointment.”

“Good. Send a little extra this time- now that you’ve got your sugar daddy.”

That was it. Stephen’s head already killed him and now with his increased temper, he wasn’t going to take it.

“A- He’s a year younger than me. B- Just because you found God doesn’t mean you get a say in who I bond with. C- I’m not going to ask him for money. You know this is a requirement for my residency you little asshole. I’m not some gold digger,” Stephen snapped.

“Fuck you, Stephen. You have no idea! No idea of the things I endure because of you.”

Stephen hung up the phone not willing to listen to his brother's abuse anymore.

Their conversations normally dissolved into fiery, childish arguments complete with name calling and swearing. It had gotten worse after Stephen had told them about who he was to be bonded with. His brother’s fringe sect of a church disapproved of all types of homosexuality, even between Alphas and Omegas. His father could have cared less, giving up on life after his mother had died. This was the state of his family now, and in his mind he had destroyed it all.

He rested his head on the table for a moment, his brain screaming in both physical and emotional pain at this point. Cursing himself for thinking it was a good idea to drink that much, he felt water well up in his tear ducts. One measly night of fun was all that he had wanted, now he would pay the price for it.

_Damn you, Nic. Damn you, Victor._

Slowly he brought his head up when he heard the door open. It was Karl coming into the kitchen with a dirty plate from lunch or breakfast. He seemed to be in a good mood, and Stephen could only crassly reflect that it was due to his activities from the night before. At that moment, Stephen really hated his life.

“Oh, you are here. I didn’t hear you come in last night.”

Stephen bit his tongue despite wanting to lash out at the innocent remark. It wasn’t Karl’s fault he was in this position, but he still felt a little sting of annoyance at the casualness of it all.

“I thought you would be at work,” Stephen remarked coolly.

“Galleries are closed on Mondays. Besides, I have to finish up some research and email correspondence. It’s better to do it at home.”

Stephen vaguely remembered reading about Karl’s family were quite famous art dealers or something. He had looked some information online about their work after he had been paired with the man. Although he never brought himself to visit one of the galleries they had owned, it seemed they were well known in the scene.

“Who were you just talking to?” Karl asked softly.

“My brother. Why did you hear?”

“None of the words, but you sounded angry.”

Stephen pressed the heals of his palms into the sockets of his eyes, trying to stave off the pain of the headache.

“Yeah, I drank too much last night. I’m not feeling well and I lost my temper.”

“Oh.”

It was almost like he was waiting for Stephen to continue, but Stephen would do no such thing. Bonding did not give him privilege to everything in Stephen’s life. Those things would remain hidden and no one needed to hear about Victor's vitriol in his opinion.

“Some hair of the dog?” Karl offered, pulling some brandy from the cabinet in front of his face.

Stephen nodded. There would be no harm in it, even if he knew that he just needed rest, fluids, and probably some aspirin for the headache.

Watching the amber liquid tumble into the glass soothed his soul more than it should have. There was something reassuring about the the steady, graceful poor, and the fact that he didn’t have to do it himself. It was not something he was used to. He always tried to take care of others, but this practical stranger cared enough to take care of him for a moment. It was surprising. Karl seemed to have a good heart, much better than Stephen’s. He was touched.

His stomach heaved once more right before he downed the liquid. The burn was what he needed. The other thing he needed was just as scary, so it took him a moment to prepare himself before he did it. No one around him knew about this, but he needed to talk. Karl would be the poor soul chosen to be his confident.

“My dad’s dying,” Stephen remarked softly.

“I had no idea. There’s nothing they can do?”

“Nope. Few months tops. It’s why he didn't come out here to meet you. Not that I really wanted him here anyways.”

“Are you ashamed?”

Karl's voice contained a note of disappointment. Stephen sighed, frowning at the misunderstanding.

“No. It’s not that. He would love you, but he would be disappointed in me, because I am not the person he raised.”

He was a coward and a failure to his family,  and he had been for a long time. At least he could make it up with his career. Even if he couldn’t save Donna or his mother, he could try to save others.

Slightly berating himself for his unexpected oversharing moment he was having, he got up to put his glass in the sink. Turning the water on, he ran his hands under the lukewarm liquid pouring out of the faucet. It was soothing, reminding him of the hospital. The hospital was a place where time stopped and also sped up. It was a dimension of reality upon itself. People came and went without every truly noticing their surroundings, too wrapped up in their thoughts and concerns. Their emotions alway felt like the music he liked to take refuge in. He became an observer, watching life. As passive as his role might be now, he would soon have to take a more active role, something he had wanted since he was a child. Still he would be an observer watching how bodies sang their song- How people ticked without all their complicated emotions involved.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he shut his eyes for a moment, willing himself to not react in any way.

“How could anyone be disappointed in you? You’re smart, and I can tell you're a good person.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but…” His voice started to wobble. “I need to go back to bed. I may see you later, or I may not.”

After he turned off the water, he fled to his room without looking back. He didn’t quite know how he would be able to face Karl again anytime soon.

.oOo.

In the days after Victor’s phone call, Stephen mostly kept out of sight and out of mind. There was little reason for him and Karl to interact, and he seemed to have developed a fear when thinking about the man. It wasn’t only the confession he had made about his father, but also the warning Wong gave him that made him slightly wary about interacting with the man he was bonded to. Instead he kept to the hospital or spent his limited free time hanging out with Nic or Wong more often. Things picked up and on his days off, he chose to spend most of his time at the library with case studies, studying new techniques, and trying to fix things in his life that he could fix. There were little hiccups that had come about with his father’s treatment, and he wanted to see if there were alternatives to make him more comfortable. It was not a matter of if, but when, and palliative care was important.

Sighing as he came up the front stoop to the townhouse one night, he opened the door to find a man standing in front of him. He had never seen this man before, but already he knew who it was. There was ever only one visitor to the Mordo residence, his boyfriend.

Standing tall with sandy greying hair, he looked striking. No one could debate the man’s attractiveness, even if he did not look friendly. If Stephen had met him somewhere else and had no inkling of the man’s personality, Stephen would have tried to pick him up. No wonder Karl had been attracted to such a man, having seen him throughout his teenage years.

Obviously older than Stephen, but with a similar grace about him as Karl, he was intimidating. He was about the same size as Stephen. He was a little bigger in build, but his height was nearly the same. When they locked eyes, Stephen felt at a loss as to what he should do. Should he greet him, or just ignore him?

Although he knew that Karl didn’t particularly want them interacting, surely it would be rude not to acknowledge his presence.

Stephen really didn’t need this on top of all the other shit that was going down in his personal life.

“Hi,” he finally decided to remark.

“Strange, isn’t it?”

“Yea.”

“You’re the one he chose to bond with? How pitiful, I expected something more from him. You look like a little nothing really. Far different from what I had pictured. Sad.”

Stephen clenched his fingers up into a fist. This must have been coming from a place of jealousy, but Stephen couldn’t believe the words had left the man’s mouth. The man who stood before him was no better than the bullies he had dealt with in highschool, trying to show him up because of his biological status. If someone hated him because of him, he could deal, but this man hated him because of his position in life. He hated him for something that was beyond Stephen’s control and Stephen couldn’t stand that.

“Huh, I was thinking something very similar, only minus the bonding part.”

The other man’s eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to Stephen with a speed that Stephen had not been expecting.

“You should leave here.”

“Why? Are you worried that he’s thinking about my knot every time you fuck him? I must admit he sounded rather bored in the kitchen compared to when I had him. Until that night I heard the two of you, I didn’t know Karl had an interest in acting.”

His mother always said he had more courage than sense at times. His fights with Vic had prepared him for making verbal attacks that could rival actual physical brawls, but he could never have anticipated the reaction he received.

As he hit the wall, the wind was knocked out of him. An arm pressed against his throat and Karl’s boyfriend was on top of him, his face in Stephen’s face. Water started to collect at his bottom lashes as he gasped for air, very little getting through. This man was more dangerous than Stephen had anticipated. He seemed deeper in trouble than he realized.

“I could easily kill you now, but then Karl would probably call the police and we don’t want to inconvenience such a delicate thing with a murder investigation do we? It would be easily written off as an accident with the connections I have. I bet you wouldn't even be missed from what Karl has told me.”

It was harder to breath and his attacker’s words barely registered with him. Now realizing that he had tangled with the wrong person, Stephen pawed at the man’s arms.

“Stop this Kaecilius! What are you doing to him?”

Taking a large, deep breath in as he fell to his knees, Stephen felt grateful that Karl had come to see what was happening. Although this man- Kaecilius, had told him that he wouldn't kill him, it hadn’t felt like that. Towards the end, he had become light headed, nearly blacking out from the lack of air. The panic that rose up in him was something that he had not felt in a very long time. It hung over him along with the fear of further harm to his person.

Tears streamed down his face from the physical stress he had been put under; his face most likely nearly purple at this point. Karl looked at him and then at Kaecilius. His gaze was angry, disgusted, and shocked all at the same time.

“He had been slandering your character.”

“No, I had only been insulting yours.”

It had been childish, and Stephen knew it. He took the low road in insulting the guy, but in that moment he hadn’t cared.

“Would you like to repeat what you said to me?” Kaecilius asked with a hiss, his eyes narrowing.

If he hadn’t been red in the face, he was sure he would have blushed.

“No. It was in the heat of the moment,” Stephen replied, ashamed of it now.

“I don’t care what he said. You would have killed him if you continued. Look at him.”

Karl sounded mad and reasonably so. However, Stephen doubted that anything would come of it except for the fact that he might need to leave the house. It was something he would like to avoid, but if someone had access to his bodily person and was threatening him, he wasn’t about to risk it. The only problem was that his father and brother needed the little money he was able to send. A few months ago, they could have survived, but now with his father getting sicker it would not be enough.

Swearing under his breath, he got up and made for his room up the stairs. Ignoring Karl’s calls for him to come back, he went inside his room and locked his door. There was no reason he needed to continue the conversation. He was sure that Kaecilius would tell Karl what he said. Karl would probably be disgusted at Stephen’s remarks, and that would be the end of their odd semi-friendliness they had been experiencing. The only thing he could hope for was that Karl wouldn't ask him to leave.

Sighing, he collapsed on his bed, exhausted and afraid of everything that had just happened.

Looking around the room once more, it was as unfamiliar to him as his last apartment had been and that was as unfamiliar to him as his dorms had been. This was just a space he slept in, and he wondered if he would never have a home again. It was looking increasingly more likely that Stephen would have to leave, be it by request or by self-imposed exile.

He thought about how to tell his dad and Vic about it. Victor would most definitely be angry about it all, and he would probably have to start taking out more loans for his schooling. Stephen couldn’t support two others on his salary and afford an apartment even with his dad’s insurance helping pay for most of the medical expenses.

Wondering if he should make the call sooner rather than later, he jostled his phone in his hand, staring at the recent model. It was the only luxury he allowed himself at this point, except for the new CD player that he had bought as a graduation gift to himself.

Ultimately he decided that he didn’t need to make the call. Whatever happened, happened and there was no need to jump to conclusions. Yet just in case, he should be prepared. In order to do that, he would need a temporary place to stay, and he knew the only person he could possibly ask was Nic.

As he tried to think of a way to approach the topic with Nic, there was a knock on his door. Unlocking it, he cracked it open just a little. Of course it was Karl.

Letting the man in, Stephen stood in front of him with his arms crossed, waiting for the shoe to drop.

“I had warned you about Kaecilius.”

“You said he wasn’t friendly, not that he would try to kill me.”

Karl responded slowly, choosing his words with a great deal of caution.

“I had no idea he would go that far, but you had provoked him.”

“He’s not a wild animal, and I am the victim here.”

“I know! I know that, and what he did was inexcusable.”

Stephen rolled his eyes; it certainly sounded like he was making excuses.

“What am I supposed to do?” Karl asked exasperatedly.

Stephen shook his head.

“Just forget about it. This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have moved in. I just thought I could…”

He stopped before revealing too much more. “I’ll find somewhere else. Just give me some time,” Stephen finally added.

“Only if you wish to leave. I can’t ask you to leave. You're not at fault here.”

Smiling sardonically, Stephen thought about the implications of the statement. He wasn’t at fault, but he knew that Karl wasn’t about to toss his volatile boyfriend out either.

People were stupid when in love and it reminded Stephen of one of the reasons he had chosen a partner like Karl. Becoming an idiot because of love was the worst outcomes he could think of. Love was a weakness. He couldn’t afford that, and he was glad that he had a reminder standing right in front of him that he had been missing out on nothing; a reminder that his heart had struggled for nothing.

.oOo.

When the chief of surgery asked to see him in her office, he knew something was very wrong. He was only an intern after all, there was no real reason he would have to be called in by the chief of surgery. If there had been something he had messed up on, or something he should be in trouble for, he thought he would know. Instead as he walked the halls of the hospital, he couldn’t fathom why the two of them would need to meet alone.

Shortly after he sat down, the reasons she had called for him were revealed. The chief gave him the news with a grave expression and told him to take a week off. From that point on he was like a zombie. Numb and stunned, he didn’t argue, instead heading to his locker and retrieving his things. On the way he saw Nic, who remarked he didn’t look well, but Stephen couldn't be bothered to respond. It wasn’t good at all.

Things were a blur for the next few hours as he headed back to the town house, choosing to walk instead of taking public transportation like normal. Something told him he should be in more of a hurry, but he had decided that he wasn’t going to go to Nebraska. He wasn’t going to watch his father die the same way he had seen his sister and mother die. No one could subject him to that again.

Death. It was something that he had to learn to deal with in each unique circumstance. Outside of his family, he had managed to train himself to confront it fairly early in life. In high school he had volunteered at a local care facility for the elderly in order for it to look good on his college applications. That had been a jarring experience, but one that brought him to confront his mortality head on. This was different. This was his family, his remaining parent. After his dad was gone it would just be him and Victor. Vic, who would hate his guts even more after making this decision.

But, he just couldn’t do it, even if Vic never spoke to him again for the rest of his life. He couldn’t rush to the airport and buy the next plane ticket to Omaha. There was no point, even if the doctors had given his father a week. After the director told him that bit of news, he knew it would be a lot sooner. They always said about a week. It was never a week, and Stephen tried to convince himself that his decision was sound.

As his phone rang, he hesitated for a good while before answering it.

“Yes?”

“Where are you Stephen? I called your hospital.”

“I know. I’m in New York. I’m not going back.”

He might as well rip the bandaid off, and the next five-ish minutes were dedicated to Vic cursing him up and down. All Stephen could do was let him, because he was the horrible person he always knew himself to be. Eventually Vic hung up in a fit of rage and Stephen understood. It was probably one of the only times he would take the garbage Victor spewed out.

When he got to the townhouse, he barely registered Karl’s voice asking him why he was home so early, instead choosing to lock himself in his room once again. Sitting at the side of the bed, he put his head back upon the duvet and waited. He waited for another call. He waited for night to fall. He waited for anything to happen.

Tears slipped down his cheeks intermittently throughout the night, and he ignored anyone trying to get in touch with him. Nic, some of the other interns, and some other doctors he worked with all tried to get in contact. Rumors must have spread by this point. Even if the chief of surgery was tight lipped, her secretary was infamously not even as close to being as tight lipped.

The only surprise was when Wong had called him, probably only by coincidence as Wong had no idea about any of it. He debated on picking up, part of him needing to connect with another person, but ultimately rejecting the notion.

Stephen Strange felt utterly alone at the moment, and he wanted it to stay that way. He didn’t want anyone to pity him or to fight with his brother. He deserved everything he was feeling and more.

Swearing at himself for his weakness, he did nothing. His mind completely shut down from the situation, trying hard to come to terms with everything.

It wasn’t until the next day that he allowed himself to venture out of his room needing water. He couldn’t think about eating or even washing, and he chose to come out only when he knew Karl would not be around. No one needed to see his face. He did not need to see anyone else's face.

So he spent his day in his room again having nowhere else to go.

At night, he only came out briefly as he eventually succumbed to his pangs of hunger and begrudgingly nibbled on some bread. His stomach would not be able to take more than that at this point.

At about 10pm there was banging on the door downstairs and the bell rang aggressively, multiple times over the span of a minute. The sound rang through the house, and Stephen tried to ignore it, but when he started hearing his name shouted through the halls, he had to come out.

He closed his eyes.

_Victor. Damn you._

Flinging his door open, he rushed down the stairs to see Karl standing off to the side as his brother continued to shout.

“What the fuck, Stephen?!”

“I could say the same about you! Why aren’t you with dad?!”

Victor was red in the face, angry and looking ready to take on Stephen. It was like when Stephen was a teen and Victor was a kid. He always had to take his shit, being older and bigger. Today he wasn’t going to.

“Because you're not there. Instead you're being selfish once again. He’s been begging and asking for you for days now! You’re just going to let him die without him saying his peace.”

Stephen looked over to their scene’s witness, who stood there gaping at him. There was disgust written on Karl’s face. The other man could look at him like that, but he wasn’t going home. No matter if Victor tried to drag him out of the house, he couldn’t go. It was best to just send him on his way. Since he already told Karl he was moving out, it didn’t matter what he thought as well.

Stephen narrowed his eyes and came closer to Victor, and since Victor was shorter, he stared him down. He would only say this once and made sure to emphasize his point.

“Leave Victor. I’m not going and if you want dad to die alone, then stay in New York. I don’t care, but you will leave this house.”

Victor gaped at him and he felt Karl grab at his arm. Wrenching his arm from the man’s tight grasp, Stephen glared at him, warning the other man to back off and stay out of the argument. This was between him and Victor, no one else.

“You’re the worst Stephen. If Donna was still alive, she would be disgusted.”

Stephen reflexively grabbed his little brother’s collar. There was no lie in his statement, but Stephen was so enraged that his brother had the audacity to even mention their sister to him. They had never talked about it, and he would be damned if they were going to do it now in front of Karl.

“Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. Here.” He raged with his teeth bared.

Never in his life had he allowed himself to do such a thing. He avoided acting in that manner at all cost.

With that, Victor turned to go out and down the stairs. Stephen stood in the doorway as Victor turned around once again to fight with Stephen.

“You’re a prick Stephen! A heartless, soulless, godless prick, who should burn in hell along with your bitch!”

He had half a mind to go beat Victor senseless; he was so enraged and emotional at this point. This had been a long time coming for the brothers, who never seemed to see eye to eye. Donna had been their glue and after she died, there was no peace between them.

Stephen took a step forward, but again he was held back.

“Let him go,” Karl urged.

As Victor continued to curse at him, he began to back up to leave. Only Victor with his lack of city experience, didn’t know where he was going and what he was doing. The small town boy he was, was not prepared for the harsh realities of maneuvering in the city.

Both Stephen and Karl cried out right before it happened, but it was too late. Victor had stepped out into oncoming traffic, moving at a very fast pace since it was past rush hour. Horrified, Stephen rushed out to his brother as screams from passerbys could be heard faintly in the background. For Stephen though, the whole world stopped at that moment.

.oOo.

The nurse brought the papers in right after he had gotten off the phone with a distant relation. Despite all of their differences, he had not wanted something like this to ever happen to Victor. If he could go back and change places, he would have in a heartbeat. After all, he was the one who really deserved to die in the grand scheme of things.

He couldn't save any of them.

Signing the papers to the pull the plug was the hardest thing he did in the last few days, knowing that Victor had maybe hours at most. All he could think about was if he had only gone to Nebraska then none of this would have happened. If he hadn’t been so stubborn or pig headed, thinking only of himself.

That night he wept over his brother's body as it slowly shut down. At 2:30 in the morning Victor Strange was dead, and any semblance of the man Stephen Strange was up until that point in time died with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings  
> Brief Violence- Kaecilius attacks Stephen by choking him.  
> Minor Character Deaths- Stephen's brother and father die.


	4. Beta Kaecilius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings** : A small scene of violence (a paragraph).

Very few people his age read hard copies of newspapers anymore, but there was a charm to them Karl could not ignore. Maybe it was the paper under his fingers, or the act of skimming and scanning a page for relevant columns of interest that called to him. The Arts section was always a must read, but he rarely read some of the others, like the Op-Ed section. Today though, a very different section caught his eye before he could even get to the arts section. 

Looking at the Health and Leisure section, Karl noticed a familiar face staring back at him. It was a picture of Stephen. He had been easy to spot, as the man aged well, fairly unchanged in his appearance. 

As he brought the paper closer to his face to get a better look, he noticed a few lines around his mouth, and greying happening at his temples, but the smile and the eyes were the same. It was strange to see him on the front page of the section, next to an article about a new technique he was working on. The article itself was drab and dull, but seemed significant. It was good to see that Stephen was doing well for himself. For a moment, he almost felt sad that they had lost contact over the years, until he recalled that it had been Stephen who completely severed all communications after his father’s funeral. It had been quite the shock to get that email one morning that told him in not so polite terms to ‘fuck off’. Disappointed, irritated, and disturbed, that was the only thing Karl could have done, and so he did. 

He frowned remembering that time. They had started off well, but then with Kae and the remaining members of Stephen’s family dying, it had complicated things. After that day his brother died, he had been so angry and distraught; rejecting help from Karl for even the smallest of things. 

Part of him wanted to reach out once again, but he knew that it probably would not be welcomed in the long run.

Removing the Arts section from the paper, Karl tossed the remaining parts in the bin. There was no use dwelling on the past, so he pressed forward. Business as usual in the Mordo household. As he read the paper, Kaecilius came down from their room. Things had not been going well for them recently. Kaecilius had become more irritable over the past few months, often pestering Karl about getting back into ‘the business’ as he put it. Only Karl was not about to go back down that path once he had found out the sordid history of his grandfather’s dealing. 

It had come as a shock to him to find out how exactly his family had become wealthy. There had always been hints of it here and there, going back to as far as World War II, but he thought that by the time his mother was grown his family had completely cut out that side of their business. On paper it all seemed legitimate. It was peculiar about how he had been fooled for such a long time. Everything had been right under his nose.

Kaecilius sat down across from him with his cup of coffee and a severe expression on his face; a normal occurrence in the mornings lately. Instead of chatting, or making eyes at Karl as they once did all those years ago, he prefered to look at his phone, reading the news for the day. Occasionally, he would be on the phone talking to his associates, but today he was quiet and focused.

There wasn’t anything incredibly rude about it, but It didn’t feel the same as before. Nothing felt the same anymore, and he figured it was just a natural part of aging. 

“Come out with me tomorrow evening. I want to take you for a drive,” Kaecilius suddenly piped up. 

“That sounds lovely.”

Kaecilius rarely left the city and this peaked Karl’s interest. It had been a long time since they had been out of the house together, and since his heat last week, he had felt a little neglected. There was this spot a bit north of the Tappan Zee Bridge that they often went to back when his grandfather had been alive that had the perfect pull off and view. He assumed Kaecilius was thinking about going up in that direction.

He hoped this romantic overture meant that things were warming back up between the two. Along with their romantic coolings, even sex between the two started to feel more like a chore at times, and he yearned for earlier years. Wanting to recapture those moments where he felt wanted daily, instead of every once in a blue moon.

Things were never going to be perfect, but he had hoped things would be better than what they were. Kaecilius seemed bored and distracted by other things so often now. It was discouraging, as he was not dead romantically or sexually. In fact, his body started to feel like it was hitting it’s peak. It craved touch much more than before, as if it were a thirst that could not be quenched. Embarrassingly, he had spent way too many mornings taking long showers and trying to find a satisfactory release from all the pent up sexual frustration he had been feeling. 

Kaecilius met his eyes for a brief moment, wetting his lips, and looking at Karl with a curious expression, as if he were going to say something else. Waiting for it to come, Karl looked back at him with a small smile, but Kae turned his gaze away. Looking at his phone one more time, he got up out of his seat. He came over to Karl and gave him a kiss upon his forehead before leaving. 

As he watch Kaecilius leave, he thought something was off about their interaction that morning. There was something that Kae was keeping from him, and he wasn’t sure if it were good or bad. They did have secrets between them. He wasn’t delusional in thinking that they were soul mates or anything of the sort. What Karl kept hidden were his memories, but Kae seemed to keep relevant information from him. At times it reminded him of his mother and grandfather and it frustrated him.

Slowly he was beginning to suspect that Kaecilius was becoming more and more like Krowler as each week passed. Still, he had to believe in the good of the man, and that things would right themselves once again. He had to believe he had made the right choice all those years ago.

Karl had a very positive outlook the next night when Kaecilius pulled the car up in front of the house. Getting into the car, he was looking forward to an evening out. Kaecilius looked very sharp for the night dressed in blacks and greys, and it complimented nicely with the greens and navy Karl dressed in. Feeling quite happy, Karl rubbed at Kae’s leg. His hand slid over the dark grey jeans that covered them, prompting Kae to look at him in surprise. It was an odd reaction. Karl just wanted to show his affection.

“Ready, my pet?”

“Yes. I’ve been looking forward to this. Although I am curious as to where we are going.”

“Where do you want to go?”

Karl couldn’t keep his desire out of his voice, “I thought we were going to  _ our place _ . You know, the one you would take me to when you picked me up from university.”

Smiling, Kae patted his leg before buckling his belt. As Karl did the same, Kae’s hand moved up the inseam coming to rest at his crotch, rubbing against it. Despite going to work and having a busy day, Karl had only thought of this for most of it. Everything else was unimportant. This was what he wanted. For the first time in a long time he felt wonderfully happy.

“In good time. I have some place to stop off first.”

“Oh?”

“Just an errand. I’d be grateful if you were to help me when we get there though.”

Karl didn’t think anything of it really. It didn’t sound special or incredibly odd, and he just enjoyed sitting next to Kae in his car. 

Cars were tricky to keep in a big city, but his grandfather always keep one. When he passed, Kae took it, along with what was left to him in the will. At times he would act as a chauffeur for Karl, as he never got his license and it was convenient at times. Especially when they wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it was more convenient than public transportation. 

Traffic wasn’t that bad that evening. It was late enough on a weeknight where there wouldn’t be too many people out. As they made their way downtown and over towards FDR drive, Karl kept himself entertained with changing the radio station. He could have put on a CD, but he liked the habit of changing the channel to find something new. It was like he was a teenager again, waiting for a good song to come on. Even in his European boarding school dorm, it felt like he was transported somewhere else when the perfect song came on. 

He barely even noticed when they pulled into a parking garage somewhere in the  Murray Hill area of the city. It was dark and a bit odd, as normally Kae would drive around to find a parking spot in an area like Murray Hill. There was no real reason for them to pull into a garage when there would be spaces on the street.

He looked at Kae furrowing his brow in response. 

“What are we doing here.”

“I have to meet some people who are interested in meeting you too. Some of your grandfather’s old associates.”

Karl pulled against his seatbelt and turned to look over at Kae. It was shocking the man would pull a stunt like this. He didn’t want to meet anyone related to his grandfather and his grandfather's business. There was nothing he could want or need from any of the people who had once come in and out of their house all those years ago.

It was harder to breath now that he knew roughly what the errand was. Panic rose up in him along with the bile into esophagus. His stomach did somersaults as Kaecilius made to get out of the car. When he came around to the side and opened Karl’s door, Karl glared hard at his so-called ‘love’. 

“I am not going. You may go, but I am staying here.”

“I’m afraid that you need to go, or we will both be in big trouble. These are not the kind of people you say no to, and they specifically think they are dealing with your family.”

“Who told them that?” Karl growled out.

“My pet, don’t think too much of it. Only your presence is required.”

Karl reluctantly got out of the car, with his fist clenched and his blood pressure skyrocketing. What had Kaecilius been thinking? Did he think he would smooth everything over with promises of a drive later? 

This was crossing lines that he had not crossed before.

Kaecilius led him to an dimly lit area away from the car. It was so dark that Karl almost couldn’t see the other car off into the corner until three white people got out of it, causing the interior lights to flicker on. The first man was a little shorter than Kaecilius’ height, with short black or dark brown hair and a much stockier build. The two others were women: one a bit short with blonde hair and another of average height with brown hair. If anyone else was in the garage, they would think nothing of them. They looked normal dressed in business casual clothes. He and Kae looked normal. Little would anyone working in the garage know what was about to go down. They would be as clueless as Karl.

For the longest time his grandfather protected him from this world and this reality. Only with his grandfather's death did he learn that his grandfather dealt in stolen art and artifacts. The paperwork, if required, was all forged, and at times Karl wondered if some of the art they had sold in the past was counterfeited as well. Some of the works his family sold decades before were works confiscated by the Nazis, having been sold to his great-grandfather right after the war ended by many who had stolen them. It had been shameful to find out his past and of course if he could have changed it he would have, but all those works of art had all been gone before he was in his teens. 

The only thing he could do was give to charity and foundations, and make sure their inventory now was all legitimate. Yet, here was Kaecilius trying to drag him back into this world unwittingly. He didn’t want this.

He wanted to run, but his feet were frozen in their spots. 

“Lucian, I assume you have what I want.”

“And you? You brought me the heir I see?”

Karl backed up just a little as the man named Lucian came closer. He looked intense, and there something wrong with his eyes. 

“What do you want with him?” Kaecilius asked.

Karl couldn’t believe this conversation. They were talking about him as it he weren’t there standing in front of them. 

“We just want to have a bit of a conversation. In return, you will get your text you asked for.”

Kaecilius nodded as Lucian turned towards him.

“Your grandfather owed us a bit of money and it’s time to collect on that debt.”

Hearing that made him angry. He was not going to pay these people who were obviously involved in illegal activities. 

“What makes you think you are entitled to that money? I am obviously not my grandfather. I have made no deals with you.”

Everyone looked upon him as if they couldn’t believe that he would stand up for himself. 

“What was that thing your grandfather always liked to say, ‘The bill comes due?’ I don’t care who pays it.”

The shorter girl came forward with a haughty laugh, “It might be best to teach him a lesson about paying on time.”

As subtitle as he could, Karl reached into his pocket and dialed 911. He hoped someone would come quickly as he had a bad feeling about this.

“You won’t kill him, will you?” Kaecilius asked.

“We can’t get our money that way. We both know that you're not the beneficiary if he dies.”

When Kaecilius asked his question, fear gripped at his heart, and he knew that he had escape. Nothing made sense as he had not been the one to wrong this group of people. It was also painful to see that Kaecilius was just going to watch them do something horrible to Karl. Didn’t the man love him?

He turned to run, but there was the other woman behind him stopping him -the taller one. She also had that weird look to her eyes that the others had, and he knew it was probably drugs. Whatever else they were into, it wasn’t just artifact smuggling.

“Fuck,” Karl mumbled.

He turned back around to look at Kaecilius, who was now examining something that was given to him. Lucian came closer to Karl, and he froze, not exactly sure how he could flee. He smiled at Karl then at Kaecilius. 

A glint of metal caught his eye, causing him to look away from the man in front of him and to what was in his hand. It was a blade; long, big, and sharp enough to cause a whole lot of real damage. 

“If you kill him, I will do the same to you,” Kaecilius warned. 

But his voice lacked the bite it had normally when he was angry. There was something too casual about all of it. At that moment, the way the two looked at one another, he knew that this was something that had been planned all along. It wasn’t a deal gone bad. They had expected him to react in the way he did. It was an act, a con.

He would have cried if there had been time.

It happened fast, and the pain was delayed for a fraction of a second before it tore through him. Struggling against the man he screamed, and screamed again when the blade came out of him. Although the man said he wasn’t going to kill him, he felt that he would die. 

He didn’t want to die, and that was his last thoughts before blackness overtook him. 

 

.oOo.

 

Pain. Darkness. Fear. 

When he stirred, the first thing that came to mind was that he was surprised he was alive. But on a second review, he thought that he may be dead and this was hell. Only he didn’t quite understand why hell smelled like The Sagamore. The musky scent of burnt wood and pine filled his nostrils and caused him to feel as those he was back at that hotel for some reason- a favorite of his in the winter. It smelled like Christmas time. 

If hell smelled like a hotel, then he couldn’t imagine what heaven smells like. And then he understood why this was hell, since it had been a place him an Kae would go. Kae who had him killed for some reason.

Gradually as he gained more of his wits about him, Karl began to realize that this was not hell, nor was he dead, just that he wanted to die. His head felt like it would split in two and pain shot through his body. He couldn’t even begin to describe the aches in his chest, positive that they were purely emotional.

Remembering that he had been stabbed, his hands went to his side, feeling the bandages under his fingertips as best they could. They were large, and he hissed as he pressed on the bandages, determining how severe the wounds were. 

Opening his eyes felt like another challenge. Their heavy lids felt like they were made out of lead for the moment, but eventually he managed to crack them open. Moving them sent pain running through them and his head. Something was very wrong, but he couldn’t tell how. 

Groaning, he tried to speak but found sound didn’t come out at first. 

“Shhh. You’re at Metro-Gen and you’ve been attacked. You’ve got three stab wounds and gashes on your forehead from an attack with an unknown object.”

The soft voice was familiar, but it had taken him a moment to place it. It was Stephen. Of course they would call Stephen, as they were still legally married. Karl also vaguely remembered that he worked at this hospital as well. If he still worked here, he might have even seen Karl be wheeled in. 

He closed his eyes again; the pain was too great.

“Hurt.”

“Yea, it will for a while. They had to drill into your skull to relieve the pressure from some bleeding, but you’ll recover.”

“M’sorry.”

He felt his hand in Stephen’s, before he slipped back into a drug induced sleep.

When he woke again, he didn’t expect Stephen to be there, but he was; Karl could tell from the smell. Surely the man had things to do, or people to see. Karl wasn’t worth his concern considering how they had barely spent more a than a few weeks together total. Why should he be here? Ashamed to admit it, he wasn’t sure if he would do the same.

This time it was a little easier to open his eyes a crack, and saw Stephen sleeping on a cot they had for him. He was curled up the best he could given his long frame. It was hard to make out his features, but Karl could tell they looked similar to the picture he saw some time ago in the paper. 

It was curious that he smelled and his smell was so strong. Gone was the sterile scent from all those years before. Of course, even if he felt up to a conversation, he couldn’t ask about that. Still it was nice, calming, and soothing for him, making things a little more bearable. Karl wasn’t quite sure if it was because of the smell, or because the indication that he had company. It was a little less hard than when he first woke unsure if he had died or not.

Closing his eyes again, he decided to rest, hoping he would stop hurting sooner rather than later.

The next day was spent in a similar way. The day after, Stephen left Karl alone. Part of him worried that Kaecilius would come for him, and the other part worried Stephen wouldn’t come back. Although he had friends, he didn’t have anyone close enough to him where they would stay with him in the hospital. Over the past few years, Kaecilius had become more and more insistent that Karl spend his free time with him, or networking for his business. His address book now contained about ten times more more business contacts than social contacts, a stark contrast to when he first took over the gallery.

The nurses were kind enough in the hospital, and one of the young residents kept checking on him. She always looked at him with a scared expression though, as if she were worried about him. Pressing her on this reaction, she simply said that he was in good hands and recovering well, but joked she probably needed to work on her bedside manner. She seemed kind.

Only later the same day, when two of the nurses were talking outside of his room did he find out the reason for why she was looking at him in that manner. She had been seeing Stephen, until the night Karl was admitted and she suddenly found out that he was married. It made more sense now, and he smiled sadly to himself, thinking about how the poor girl must have misunderstood their relationship. Hearing words like husband and bonded must have been confusing for a Beta like her, especially since Stephen and his beginnings were so unconventional even for Alphas and Omegas. 

Stephen Strange was a surprising man with many secrets. He understood that from their first meeting, but Karl was also sure that others would not be so understanding.

After a few days, when the medication took care a lot of the pain, Stephen came back to visit him. Having been alone for a period of time, he was glad for the company. He had no other visitors, except for the two people who worked for him.  Stephen was a wondrous sight for sore eyes.

Although he was still bandaged and stitched up, he was feeling better and could at least keep his eyes open for a period of time without it being too painful. When he saw himself in the mirror for the first time in the accident, his reflection had startled him; his wounds more severe than he had though. The lines would be etched forever into his skin. Whatever Lucian and his goons had done to him, it was not simply letting him go easily. Judging from the wounds, if he had not called emergency services moments before the attack, he would have died. 

“I meant to come sooner, but the police have been hounding me for days to see you and to let them investigate. I’m afraid your home and office are taped off for a while during their investigation. You’ll have to be interviewed as well.”

He hadn’t even thought about that. Of course the police would be involved. What they would find, or even if they cared enough to actually work the case was a different story, but they would at least look like they were busy. 

Stephen looked at him with a frown, “They originally thought you were part of it all, but after reviewing some of the security camera footage, they realized you were a victim of a surprise attack.”

He wasn’t surprised, but he still felt a sudden surge of emotions, not wanting to remember what had happened. He knew Stephen probably had a good idea of what had happened now. There was already a layer of history between Kaecilius and Stephen that just confirmed that Karl had chosen wrongly all those years ago. In hindsight, he should have thrown out Kaecilius instead of pressuring Stephen into leaving his house. 

“I had nothing to do with them,” Karl finally responded.

“I know. I insisted that they had misread into it when they thought you were involved. Look. When you’re discharged, you can stay with me. I have a place, and I’m not there often.”

“Why are you doing this?” Karl asked.

“Do you think of me as some monster? Don't answer that.” He sighed, before continuing, “You helped me out when I was first starting out. I know things were not ideal, but it did help me and my family to have a little extra money for my dad.”

He looked into Stephen’s face. Before he hadn’t been able to get a good look, but now he could see the changes in the doctor’s visage. That handsome man in the picture was there right in front of him, but underneath outside appearances there was nothing. The cool, slightly awkward young man he had bonded with, was now ice cold in his expression. Dead on the inside, even if his words were kind. Karl felt a bit pained, but he understood as his own heart cried out in betrayal.

“One more thing. I tried calling your mother, but whatever number you had for her doesn’t work.”

Giving a strained smile, Karl decided to answer him, “She’s in Europe somewhere. I haven’t talk to he in a year or so. I don’t have her number. -I don’t have many people around me anymore.”

“Oh. Well, I guess we’re two peas in a pod,” Stephen joked.

Silence fell upon the room after their admissions.

“Anyway, they will discharge you soon enough. In a few more days unless some unexpected complication arises. Then I’ll take you to my place. Even if yours wasn’t a crime scene, I don’t want to see you hurt again. Who knows what your crazy boyfriend would try.”

Karl felt embarrassed by Stephen mentioning Kae.

“Can you get some of my things, or do they have it sealed off?”

“Afraid you can’t get anything yet. Don’t worry. I’ll get some things. If you give me a list of what you need or like, I’ll be able to take care of it. They won’t let me back in the OR right now. A standard policy after family emergencies like this.” 

Stephen seemed a bit bitter about it, but Karl was still stuck on the fact that he had said family. Knowing that it was only in title didn’t make it easier to deal with. It actually made it harder. The word had so much weight to others, but the two of them didn’t know what family really meant. Karl for a while thought Kaecilius was his family, but that turned out to not be true. In his time of need, his mother had abandoned him, and Stephen’s history with his family was complex. He still felt that Stephen had more of an idea than he did about what family was, but still there seemed to be a lot of pain. So he pondered if the meaning of family was actually pain? He didn’t know anymore. Family was a loaded word. 

Was Stephen his family? He was here in his time of need after all.

Stephen left shortly after, and Karl thought about the things he would need. He tried to live simply, most of his money going to maintaining the house and daily necessities. He only had a few items he needed from Stephen. It was uncomfortable to think about imposing upon the man, but he had nowhere else to go.

When it came time to be discharged from the hospital, they didn’t say much to one another in the cab ride to Stephen’s place somewhere in midtown. 

Exiting the cab, he looked up at the skyscraper they were standing in front of. The building looked like it had been recently renovated and it towered over many of the other places around it. Going from his town house with it’s turn of the century charm to this monstrosity would be interesting. It seemed sterile, clinical, and cold, perhaps matching the man standing next to him. 

Stephen helped him walk; his side was still very sore despite healing quite well. It still felt like a much longer walk than it actually was.

When they entered the apartment, it was nearly bare, except for a few pieces of furniture. It looked like it had not been lived in yet, and given Stephen’s economic status before, he would not have been able to pay for such a place until recently. If the location wasn’t clue enough, the large window panes that made up a wall to the living room would have been more than enough to tip him off that Stephen had moved up in the world nicely. It would have been impressive to be honest, if it didn’t feel so soulless at the same time. What was the point of having a nice house if you didn’t spend time in it? He hoped he was wrong, and had to reminded himself that it was not his place to judge.

Stephen walked him over to the sofa and helped him lay down upon it, making sure he was in a comfortable position.

“Listen, I’ve got to clean my room up a bit, then I can help you settle in there.”

The rest of the apartment was spotless, so it was a bit hard to believe that room was messy. It more than likely contained private things Stephen didn’t want him to see. He wouldn’t bother the man about that, and he felt a bit uncomfortable by kicking him out of his room.

“This is fine. I can stay here for now. It’s probably better anyways as it’s near the kitchen and a bathroom.”

Knowing that giving a more logical reason than an emotional one would probably appeal to Stephen more, he wasn’t surprised when he found out that he was correct in his assumptions. 

Stephen sat down in the chair nearby, rubbing at his neck and putting his head back. His eyes were closed and he looked tired. Shutting his own eyes for a brief moment, he tried to quell the unease building in the pit of his stomach. If there was one lesson he had learned in life was that the bill always came due as his grandfather told him many times. The same words Lucian had thrown at him in the garage, haunting him just as they always had. He was the victim of his grandfather’s sins that night in the parking garage, he understood this was Stephen’s burden now, too. Karl was the burden for all those years ago. That made him feel worse; a vicious circle of karmic payback. But all those things he did for Stephen, he had done because he wanted to. Stephen could not have wanted to take care of him like this. This was probably another debt.

“If there is anything I could do, or if you wish for me to give you some-”

“I’m fine. I don’t need charity,” Stephen snapped suddenly.

Karl gritted his teeth, it wasn’t what he was implying at all.

“I will be fine. I only need to get back into a normal routine, and I don’t care about any of that. Just get better so when you can go back to your home you can rest comfortably there.”

Stephen sounded so certain it would take a short time, but Karl knew how the police would probably drag it out. This wasn’t the first time the police had investigated something related to Kaecilius, and he had heard the complaints the man had about how long it took. 

It was foolish of him to continue on with Kae after that, but he had been blinded. He could beat himself up for ages about how blinded he had been. 

“When will you go back to work?” Karl asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“In a few days. I have some other things to do in the meantime though. Practice in the skills lab and the such. I can at least do that.”

As they talked about nothing, Karl noticed a subtle change in the room. It was so faint he almost didn’t pick up on it, but it was definitely a change. Before there had been a slight acrid smell about the man, but it slowly dissipated the more they sat together. Frankly, it was driving Karl mad. He normally was not in the same spaces as Alphas, and he couldn't ask Stephen about it; their relationship was not that close. They were in this odd limbo preventing them from being fully open, but not too closed off. Even though there was nothing he could do about it, it still gnawed at him. His heart seemingly able to recognize that this was his bonded. 

It started to make him nauseous. 

“I think I need to go into the hospital soon,” Stephen said suddenly while looking at his watch. 

Nodding in response, he was a bit relieved to hear it. He was tired and wanted to rest. All of his senses were bombarded by everything new and that smell. It would take some time to get used to it.

Before Stephen left, he got Karl a glass of water, placing it within his reach. Saying his goodbyes, Karl breathed a sigh of relief internally. Even though he had a lot of time to himself in the hospital, he once again yearned for quiet. He had yet to process most of what had happened to him before his accident, too busy dealing with the aftermath. There was the comfort of Stephen helping him, but there were many things the good doctor could not help him with.

For hours, he contemplated various issues affecting him, only getting up to use the restroom or to get some more water. He could do it himself, but it took more energy out of him then expected, and he couldn’t make too many sudden movements. His body reminding him it needed quite a bit more healing, just like how his heart often gave him pangs to remind him that it was still bleeding. 

The last hour or so he was awake, he spend the time torturing himself over some of his past decisions that had led him to this point. Examining moments in his life where he should have made a left turn instead of a right one. There were so many paths he could have taken and thinking about them exhausted him.

When he awoke from his nap, it was due to a hushed voice gaining volume out of irritation. Stephen had come back and he sounded desperate, angry, and impatient.

“How many times do I have to tell you, he and I aren’t together. We haven’t even seen one another for many years… Christine… Christine, I know you are upset, but what else was I supposed to do?”

Karl didn’t mean to listen in, but Stephen was not even trying to hiding his conversation at all. He figured it was probably with the resident that would sometimes visit him. 

“You would have run the other way, just like all the others. Once you hear the word married, you Betas always run the other way, not even trying to understand our situation. It wasn’t like we even wanted to be married to each other… No, I didn’t mean it like that. Don’t make this political… No, I didn’t make it political first. You are twisting my words.”

The conversation ended abruptly with Stephen sighing loudly. It was obvious whatever he had going on had just ended in a spectacular explosion. By the end of it, Stephen’s voice was raised far louder than what he could have slept through.

Coming into view, Stephen sat down in the chair once again, flooding Karl’s nostrils with the same acrid smell on top of his normal smell these days. Only it was much, much stronger than before. His face scrunched up in frustration and anger, his mouth puckered up as if he had been sucking on a lemon. 

“What the hell did she expect? Me to be the only unbonded Alpha doctor in the whole country? Fuck.”

She was pissed that he hadn’t been honest with him. Lying by omission to her until his husband showed up in the ER that night. Karl could understand that. Stephen shouldn’t have hid it, although he wondered how she hadn’t put two and two together to begin with. Maybe like him, she was blinded with love. He didn’t understand, but he didn’t need to. It was none of his business.

His head started to hurt and he felt a little ill.

“Please calm down, Stephen.”

Stephen looked at him, more irritated than before.

“I’m sorry, but your scent is making me nauseous when you are angry. I don’t mean offense. You have every right to be angry, but if I become sick, I don’t know if I can make it to the bathroom in time.”

His plea had an almost immediate reaction as the acrid tinge to the air seemed to lighten fairly quickly. Stephen also looked surprised for a moment at Karl’s statement, he also didn’t realize it.

Getting up from his seat in a flash, Stephen came over and asked to examine him. It scared Karl for a second as Stephen looked into his eyes, feeling around the bandaged wounds. He obviously didn’t believe that Karl was reacting to Stephen’s scent.

“You seem okay,” he said.

Stephen’s eyes seemed to pierce through his soul. Their mix of blue and greens shone brilliantly, searing themselves into his memory. His lips softly pressed together in concentration and concern distracted him, and the room began to feel a little stuffy. 

“I am a fool. I forgot that this would happen,” Stephen sighed.

Karl looked at him curiously.

“They made me stop taking that medication that covered my scent after they brought me up on some trump charges in a disciplinary hearing -said I was misrepresenting myself and the hospital.” He explained with huff of irritation, before continuing, “I mean, I read about this in books, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”

Stephen sounded scared. 

“God. You’re aroused and afraid, and I can smell it now too. It should lesson with time I think, but until then this is it for us.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s because even though we technically bonded, we never actually finished the process. Why do you think that most Alpha/Omega divorces normally happen after five or more years? Emotional responses affect scent production, and because in the beginning everything is heightened the chemical changes can be smelled.”

“Are you telling me that we will know each other's emotions through each other's scents for a long period of time?”

“Forever, but like a romance, our brains become desensitized at some point, making it less of a priority to react to it. It’s a biological imperative for reproduction, like heats, to ensure offspring.”

He never had to think about this before with Kae, and now he wondered if this would become a problem between him and Stephen. Would they be able to continue to live together for a period of time?

The way that Stephen looked and smelled, he must have been thinking the same thing. 

“This won’t change our personalities, or makes us want to fuck, or something like that. It’s more like broadcasting what you feel.”

Why did he look so scared if he tried to lessen the impact with his reassurances? It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Karl. 

They both tried to calm themselves over the next few minutes, trying to get back to their baseline scents. It was going to be like walking on eggshells for a little while, and Karl was not looking forward to that.

 

.oOo.

 

As Karl healed and Stephen went back to work, they rarely saw one another. Occasionally Stephen would come back and lock himself in his room, obviously trying to avoid broadcasting his moods. Always the private man, he seemed more concerned than Karl was about it all. It was unsettling, but for him, he could deal with it. It was not very different from how Kaecilius never learned to control his temper or curb his enthusiasm. Living with that for so long, not knowing someone's moods was more unnerving for Karl.

The door seemed to prevent most of smells, but of course the objects of the various rooms had Stephen’s smell cling to them. It was rather soothing, and he was sure he’d be a bigger mess without it assaulting his senses most of the day and night. It gave him time to relax and think, even if sadness and anger lurked around every corner.

A few weeks passed and Karl was almost fully healed, but his house and work were all still investigative scenes. He tried his best to continue a normal life through emails, the internet, and his employees. It was hard and frustrating at times. 

He was alone for the most part, and the emptiness started to get at him. Beginning to realize how much time and energy Kae had zapped from him, it made him more irritable. There was a lingering melancholy involved with thinking about his predicament, even if he did feel safe with Stephen in his house. 

He was starting to feel more lonely as each day passed. Most of the time, even when Stephen was there, it felt like he was alone. There were a few people he still talked to, but it felt like he was starting from scratch again. Sometimes he wanted to give up, unable to remember how he had been able to do it before. It left him questioning if he actually had done it to begin with, or if it all had been in his head.

Days were bad, but nights were worse. He had taken to the sofa, and the unfamiliar surroundings often made him feel as though he had lost his autonomy. At this point, he could come and go, but he often did not want to go out, afraid that someone was waiting for him in an alleyway. If he did go out, he only took cabs and stayed in populated areas like Columbus Circle, or Union Square. He didn’t even dare venture near Chelsea even if the neighborhood was very safe. The former warehouses turned galleries spooked him now with their confined emptiness.

Then one night something unexpected happened. Stephen had some fancy dinner or something and told him that he would be back in the night sometime. Karl hadn’t thought much of it. This had happened before, and each time Stephen would come stumbling in tired and tipsy, sometimes smelling of others, but never of an Omega. Those times there had only been smells of perfume or cologne.

This time though, Stephen asked him if he was interested in going. He was not, as he couldn’t quite get over some lethargy he was feeling from being hurt for so long. That and he was afraid of the night now. He tried not to let on, giving the excuse that he wanted to spent a quiet evening reading a book that had been delivered the day before.

The book was quite fanciful for his tastes, but it helped distract him from his situation. It also helped relax him to the point where he almost fell asleep. But then Stephen came back.

The door opened, and the first thing Karl noticed was the heady smell wrapped around the man. His tie was askew and his jacket hung off him, unbuttoned. Stephen’s hair was a mess and he looked as emotionally unrestrained as his appearance. The coldness seemed to have gone away for a little bit, replaced by a warm, sly smile.

Karl swallowed hard, trying to ignore it, but then Stephen parked himself right in front of Karl, sitting on the floor. A grin spread across his face as he plunked down a shiny, cut glass award on the table.

“My first. Not my last.”

His breath smelled lightly of alcohol, but it was barely noticeable under all the other things assaulting his nose at the moment.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It’s lovely, Stephen.”

His mouth filled with saliva as the room suddenly seemed hotter. This was absolutely unbearable, and he now fully understood what Stephen had told him before and why he looked so scared. Reading another person’s emotions made it so he understood how he should respond, but with something like this it was hard not to be influenced.

There was something about Stephen that always called to him, even if he tried to ignore it before. Now since there was nothing in their way, his mind went to those places that he had forbidden it to to go before. The memories of their time together flooding back to him -the nights of their shared heat. 

When he looked at Stephen, meeting his eyes, he could Stephen was feeding off of him as well. Feeding off all the signals they were exchanging and responding to them in kind emotionally. If he had been close to a heat, he knew he would have been in trouble, but thankfully his last one had been right before the attack on his person. 

“I didn’t know I would be home so early. I thought I might meet someone at the event, but I’m glad I didn’t. This is nicer,” Stephen ventured. 

Pride. Lust. Happiness. All those feelings danced around them both. Karl didn’t want to ignore any of them, instead his heart finally released it’s pain that it had been holding on so tightly since Kae’s betrayal. Sitting in front of him was the same person he had met before all those years ago. Humor danced in his expression.

“I’m glad you came back earlier than expected.”

Stephen hesitated for a second to respond, “You know those nights we spent together were some of the best ones in my adult life?”

The problem was he would have to agree, but he knew it was due to the bonding and not the truth.

“I think about how much you showed me,” Stephen continued.

“Stephen…”

He got up from where he was sitting, slowly removing his tie and jacket, tossing them on the floor. His eyes never left Karl’s as he walked around the coffee table. Karl stood up as Stephen extended his hand. Motioning for him to come closer, Karl did. Stephen pressed himself into his legal husband; his hands traveling around Karl’s torso. One rested on his lower back as the other was placed a bit lower.

“We should celebrate,” Stephen said softly, his face pressed nearly Karl’s ear. 

“How so? Do you want to dance?”

“Sure, if you want to call it that -dancing.”

He pulled away, taking Karl by the hand and leading him into the bedroom. Before he knew it, Stephen had Karl pressed up against the now closed door, his mouth upon Karl’s.

The rancid taste of alcohol left in his mouth soon faded as things became more heated. It wasn’t the most enjoyable kiss he ever had, but it would suffice for the moment. Stephen obviously felt emboldened by Karl’s response, and his hands moved to Karl’s shirt, a simple tee he had borrowed from Stephen as his had been in the wash.

Tugging it off in a fairly quick motion, they stood looking at each other for a moment. Their breathing heavy and their scents mixing together, making everything feel a bit more heightened. It was the magic of bonding, their blood seemingly recognizing their mate.

“I want your cock inside me,” Stephen said suddenly. 

It took Karl by surprise and he didn’t quite know what to say to that.

“But I’m an Omega.”

“Fuck that. You have a beautiful cock. Who told you that anyways?” He paused for a second.”You’ve never fucked anyone before, have you? Always been fucked.” 

Stephen’s tongue had always been loose, but Karl had forgotten how loose it could get. He forgot how absolutely embarrassing, yet charming Stephen could be in his honesty.

“Let me show you tonight then. Like you showed me the first time we were together. If you like it great. If you don’t, we can deal with that when you know for sure. What do you think?”

There was a reassuring quality to his low, sultry tone. The way that his eyes lifted to meet his, their lashes long and curled. Karl’s heart gave a heave from how attracted he was at the moment.

Softness was the only word that came to mind when he thought about Stephen as a lover. His soft expressions matched his soft skin. How his hands moved over Karl's body was nothing but soft; careful to roam over his new scars and down to the band of the pajama bottoms Karl wore. 

Despite being told repeatedly about how people should be, Stephen seemed to slowly chip away at his preconceived notions like no one else had before. Sure there had been some in boarding school who urged for freer thinking, but those at home preached conservatism. When one free-thinking Omega wound up becoming pregnant in the middle of term, he had decided it was not for him at that point, condemning himself to a little over a decade and a half of this thinking of good Omegas and bad Omegas. Yet, here was Stephen, who many would classify as a bad Alpha, but in actuality was a person Karl could not see much fault in at this point, having treated Karl so well. He treated Karl much better than most others in his life. How could he not be moved by such an individual? 

There was so much he was grateful for as he leaned in for another kiss, his own hands at the buttons of Stephen’s shirt. Their mouths seemed to be able to mold and maneuver in a way that made sense, distracting Karl as Stephen groaned into his. The slide of tongues in combination with Stephen’s shirt sliding off his fit body made it all seem much more poetic. 

He practically jumped though when Stephen had slid off his bottoms. The cool air hit his hardness right before Stephen palmed it. Then he felt as though he was on fire; Stephen breaking away to nip at the bonding mark he had left all those years ago. He felt his knees buckle in response, unaware that he could have such a reaction to such a gesture. Thankfully Stephen caught him with a laugh.

“A little eager?” He teased with a murmur.

“I haven’t regained my strength it seems.”

“Maybe or maybe not, but I will be gentle either way.”

He helped Karl onto the bed, pushing him down before shucking off his remaining clothes. His dick stuck out proudly and caused Karl to pause. It looked different in this light, prettier somehow; the outline of the veins were more prominent and he could see the colors of it better now. There was a curve to it, not too extreme, but noticeable. He also didn’t remember Stephen being that size before, his memory fuzzy from those days they spent together. Frankly, it was a visually striking cock. 

It was arousing to watch as Stephen took himself in hand, giving a tug or two before moving over to the side table. Karl looked away knowing and anticipating what would happen next. But this time it would be different, and that same feeling of shyness like when he shared his heat with Stephen before rolled over him.  

He forgot about the present scene for a moment before Stephen pulled him back to reality, climbing over him and giving him a quick kiss. The doctor's fingers ran over his new scars on his forehead. He kissed them softly, still red and angry from their healing process. Then, Stephen moved his hand downward to take Karl’s erect cock in hand. He looked at it with interest, noting it’s changes from last time. The size and reaction different from heat sex, as his body had returned to its state of non-ovulation long before this night. 

“The crime here is I can’t feel you come inside me over and over again in a short time span,” Stephen bemoaned with a grin spreading across his face. 

“I wouldn’t be able to be inside you during my heat anyways - _ ah _ \- I practically clawed holes into you last time trying to - _ uhh _ \- oh god... Don’t stop now.”

But then Stephen did. It was disappointing. Instead he put his head at the crook of Karl’s neck, smelling him, and he put the tube of lubricant in Karl’s hand. Knowing it would be easier to do this from a different angle, and not wanting to do it improperly, Karl nudged Stephen off of him so he could move. 

“Could you, maybe lay on your stomach?” Karl asked.

He always liked it best in this position, but Stephen did him one better. After turning onto his stomach, he spread his legs out wide. His hips lifted off the bed and he twisted so he could look at Karl as he did it. It was remarkable how flexible he was. 

Before he could even think about stretching Stephen, he reflexively reached out to touch him, his hands roaming over the smooth flesh of his backside, before traveling to the man’s inner thighs. He took hold of Stephen's dick from behind, holding for a moment before moving to his balls. It felt good to touch him, and the response he was getting from the man urged him to go further. His hands moving back up and his fingers spreading his cheeks a little further to get a better look at the ring of muscle they would slip into soon enough. 

It was a bit harder to breath with his senses being assaulted like they were. The images and smells playing with his emotions, making him feel aroused and safe. Had he done this with Kae, he was sure it would have been not like this. Then again, he knew Kae would never ask him to do this. 

He dipped down pressing his face against one of Stephen's cheeks and then turned his head ever so slightly, pressing a kiss against the skin. Moving just a little, his tongue darted out to press against the hole now in front of it. 

Stephen groaned loudly as Karl continued his administration, feeling the muscle tense a little before relaxing in reaction to him. It felt powerful; he felt powerful like this. Giving pleasure had always been top priority for him, but this felt different somehow, the reaction somehow better than he could have imagined. The few times he had been on the receiving end years ago were great memories, but this was fantastic, and he moaned a little in response. 

When he reluctantly pulled away, he got the lubricant out and applied some to his fingers. Then circling Stephen's pucker, he ventured a little further, pushing into it. Stephen encouraged him with his noises and movements. This was definitely not his first or second time for this kind of thing. Karl sort of knew that, but he hadn’t realized it till that moment, when Stephen was breathily telling him to hurry it up. He had wanted to take it slow, afraid he would push Stephen too fast. 

It had been a silly idea.

Comfortably taking two, then not long after three fingers, Stephen seemed be enjoying himself very much. His moans were borderline obscene and over the top as Karl was fucking him with his fingers at a good pace, making sure to rub over his prostate.

“You gotta stop now,” Stephen eventually panted, breaking Karl’s concentration.

Removing his fingers, he sat back on his heals. Stephen winced -probably from the stretch of his legs- as he moved so that he could be be face to face with Karl, leaning forward to give him a kiss. Wordlessly, he nudge Karl back down onto the bed, obviously wanting more control. That was something that did not change from their last time together. There was a point where they would default back into their personal preferences, even if they did explore new territory. 

From the palm of Stephen’s hand appeared a shiny wrapper, taking Karl by surprise for second. Thinking about it, it made sense. They had no idea what the other had been up to all those years, and before they bonded they had a many checkups at the hospital to ensure that neither one of them were diseased. With Kae he had implicitly trusted, such a foolish action. For a second he felt embarrassed taking such risks. 

“Karl, if you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to,” Stephen said.

“No, I want this.”

Stephen stopped for a moment to judge his sincerity and Karl knew that his smell must have changed after his thoughts drifted back to Kae. 

Idiotic of him really. He needed to enjoy the moment. His heart needed to stop interfering with his body and mind.

Leaning over, Stephen pressed his lips to Karl’s face before kissing his mouth. At the same time, he took Karl’s cock in his hand, and Karl gave a thrust into the soft palm, giving a small whimper into his partner's mouth.

He barely even notice the condom going on him, but he definitely noticed Stephen positioning himself and sinking down on his cock. It felt really good. A lot better than he originally thought it would. It was different from having a cock inside him, but this was very nice, too. 

“Oh, Karl,” Stephen said breathily.

He never heard someone say his name like that before, and he knew he didn’t want to hear it said any other way ever again. There was so much love in the words despite Stephen obviously not being in love with him.

Stephen moved up and down upon his cock slowly at first and then with a little more fervor. His face had a pink tinge to it now, and it reflected his concentration on getting off. Snapping out of the trance he was in, Karl tried to meet him with some strong thrusts to match, and he felt as if he were coming closer to their eventual goal. 

Wrapping his hand around Stephen’s cock, his hand still slightly slick as he had forgotten to wipe off the lubricant from his hand, he tried his best to please Stephen. 

After some time, Stephen came across his abdomen. It surprised Karl; normally he would give some warning, but Stephen seemed unconcerned. He had been so focused on riding Karl’s cock and his high. As Stephen’s muscles reacted, it dragged Karl’s own orgasm from him. 

They froze for a moment, Stephen looking absolutely satisfied by the experience. Eventually when their eyes met, Stephen dipped down for a quick kiss.

Yet, it was gone. Whatever he had been feeling disappeared with his orgasm, leaving him happy, but with a twinge of something else mix in. 

Stephen looked at him with concern when he broke the kiss and moved off of him.

“Not good for you?”

Karl shook his head. It wasn’t that. It was actually the opposite, and it caused him to become confused as to what he was feeling a moment before.

“It was too good. I don’t think I want it to be a regular thing, but it was very nice. Thank you, Stephen.”

Stephen shook his head slightly as he helped Karl up. Removing the condom and tossing it in a small bin, Karl headed for the bathroom, but Stephen stood in the door frame. His tousled hair had sweat beading up at where it met the scalp, making for quite the image. He looked like one of those sex symbols from the 90s Karl would see in the tabloids other students had.

“Let me help you clean up.”

Part of him wanted quiet, but the irrational part of him was telling him to let Stephen join him and that part finally won out.

Stephen drew them a bath. Karl felt so many things as they sat in the warm waters together. It felt good, yet his heart seemed to ache like it had many times before. 

Stephen pressed kissed upon his shoulders before he pressed his face against Karl, breathing in and out rhythmically. If he had to guess, Stephen was trying to sooth his mood. He knew Stephen could feel what was happening through his scent. 

Only when tears started to fall did he really start to understand what had been happening. He couldn’t help but feel that he had wasted so much of his life on someone so undeserving as Kae. Tonight he felt so good, so cared for, and it made reality that much harder when he finally came down from that high.

The rest of the night, they didn’t talk about it or acknowledge it, but both of them were aware of it. Curling up in the same bed as Stephen he could only hope that the feeling would go away in the morning.

 

.oOo.

 

After the night they had sex, Stephen went away for a few days. Without a word, he left and didn’t come back. He didn’t text except to answer the few questions Karl had sent him, unrelated to that night. It made him feel terrible, as he truly started to feel for Stephen, but knew he probably scared him off in the bath after they had sex. Who would want to deal with him and his mess? He knew that even he didn’t want to deal with it and it was his life.

Stephen seemed to not want a long term relationship anyways, and it gave Karl some pause. Maybe it was a message for Karl that it was time to leave.

On the fourth day that Stephen did not come back, Karl made up his mind that he was going to go to a hotel until he could go back to his house. His heart couldn't take much more. It was too difficult, so he packed his bag and began to compose his letter. 

_ Dear Stephen, _

_ Thank you for your hospitality, but I have come to the conclusion that we would do better separately as we have for the last few years. I am eternally grateful for your kindness and your support.  _

_ Yours, _

_ Karl Mordo. _

Folding the note up, he put it on the counter. He took one last look around the room before leaving with a heavy heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit painful, but this is the last part where they split up, the next two parts will have them together to the end (and beyond).
> 
> Also because I know some will be curious, Kae will not show up again, but his prescence will be felt in the next part. :3


	5. Second Chances

The other day he had bellowed at Christine, driving her away once and for all. It didn’t seem like a loss at first; his anger and grief consumed him to the point where nothing else registered. Once she was gone and he was left with silence and pain, it occurred to him he was almost alone in the world now. Only one person still talked to him -Wong. Wong, who never really seemed to give a shit, but obviously must have as he came the next day, thrusting a tin at him as soon as he opened the door. 

It was surprising as they were not the kind of people who gave gifts readily. The last time had been one Christmas eons ago when Stephen had thrown a party and Wong brought some kind of wine that he must have closed his eyes and picked out, because it tasted awful. It was the only time they had ever exchanged anything. Now he was practically throwing a tin of treats or something in his arms. Wong must have been worried, even if his countenance did not say it.

“What the fuck is this?” Stephen asked, narrowing his eyes.

“What do you think it is? God knows last time I saw you you looked like hell, but now. Damn Stephen, you really need some help or something. You look like shit.”

Stephen smiled at him. Good old Wong, who always seemed to know exactly what to say. As long as it wasn’t sympathy, it was welcomed for now.

“You're right, but in order to change that, I need a loan for that to happen.”

Wong jerked his head and narrowed his eyes before he spoke. Being annoyed at Stephen was his natural state the last few times they met. Stephen really couldn’t blame him, as he knew he was horrid company since his accident.

“Well, you're not getting it from me.”

“You don’t even want to give me this tin. I know I would be wasting my breath to ask for money.”

Wong laughed, but still somehow didn’t looked pleased or even more at ease by Stephen's observation. 

“I picked it up on my way here. Even though you probably don’t deserve it.”

He looked at the bag with the address on it. It was from a bakery in lower Manhattan, below Wong’s home and office, down near city hall. 

Giving the matchmaker an odd look, Wong shrugged.

“I had to go deliver papers to city hall, and it's easier just to walk down. Just take the tin and stop giving me a hard time.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“Funny thing though,” Wong began. 

Only he stopped mid thought, preventing himself from saying whatever he was going to say. It was peculiar, and he shook his head and waved his hand as if to say forget about it. It didn’t matter though. He would probably eat whatever was inside without a care as he had no food in his house, nor any inclination to get anymore. He knew he should eat, but these days he felt only the need for something to kill the pain. Food just didn’t do that for him.

Wong narrowed his eyes at Stephen.

“What new remedy is it this week? Something costing an insane amount of money no doubt. Trying to find a cure for the seventh or eighth time now, right? Or are you going to go off trying to find some herbal remedy now? Go off to some illegal clinic in a developing country? Or better yet, you can ring up Tony Stark or some other bullshit engineer to help you. Don’t you know those kinds of people?” Wong harangued him. 

He was pissed for some reason -well more pissed than normal, even though he was making Stephen tea as they spoke. The man was sometimes funny with the way he expressed himself. Stephen never met anyone quite like Wong, who was able to insult him and worry over him at the same time. For some reason it was more comforting than Christine’s sad eyes or Nic’s lazy cowardice. 

“If it works, I won’t care how it comes about.”

“It’s not going to work. Give up, Strange.”

He sounded defeated, sick of Stephen’s antics, and Stephen really couldn’t blame him or anyone else. He was pretty sick of it himself, but he had to keep going. In his life, he had given up all his chances of happiness to become the person he was. How could he give up now?

Tired from the different emotions rolling through him, he couldn’t bring himself to look at Wong. Instead, he stood at his window, looking out at the city that had saved and destroyed him in the span of 20 or so years.

Only when he heard the clank of the cups upon his desk did he turn to look at Wong again. He kept tea about for when Wong was around, but he would only drink it if Wong insisted.

“I can’t give up. You of all people know that,” Stephen replied softly, taking the cup.

“Yea, I know. But haven’t you thrown all of your chances away at this point? You could have had a much more satisfying life if you only let yourself. That’s the problem Stephen, you are not open to the possibilities, fixated only on what you want to happen.”

Wong had never been like this before. Even when his father and brother died, he simply told Stephen that he was sorry to hear it and moved on to a different topic. Now though his friend had decided to dig his heals in for some reason. And Stephen was tired of kicking others down, so he just humored him for that day. Had he not kicked Christine out a few days earlier, he would have probably fought with Wong, too. 

He shuddered to think of what that would be like. Christine had a fire in her, but Wong was a furnace, fire threatening to spill out if pushed too much. 

“You could have been happy,” Wong whispered softly.

There was something wrong, and he didn’t respond with any rebuttal. However, Stephen could still feel that there was something else Wong wanted to say even if he didn’t know what it was. Something more was behind those words, and he didn’t understand. Nor did he want to explore it further, fearing the reaction it would prompt. He implicitly trusted Wong’s judgement more than anyone else. He never had met anyone quite so logical.

It would be best to change the topic.

“How’s business?” Stephen enquiried to be polite.

“No pains in the ass like you lately, but there’s been an uptick with the new legislations being pushed through.”

Stephen nodded his head. It came as no surprise with the availability of suppressants coming onto the market in the last two years, the government had been pushing for mandatory letter of release for Omegas to get written permission from their Alpha guardians in order to obtain the prescription. It infuriated Stephen, but some Alphas seemed to be okay with this. There were always fringe groups that wanted more control. He highly doubted the legislation would fail unless the whole nation grew a conscious overnight.

“Have you heard from him?” Wong asked cautiously.

It was odd how the man could upbraid Stephen about his life choices, but tiptoe around the fact that he was still married to someone he hadn’t seen in years. Stephen didn’t care, or at least that was what he tried to tell himself. Guilt lingered over being an idiot all those years ago and not calling the man until many days after that night they were together.

“Why would I? He’s living life. I highly doubt that he’s with some other Alpha, otherwise he probably would have asked for a divorce. Why stay married to me if you have a better option.”

Stephen laughed bitterly, thinking about how odd it had been. He had been an Alpha trying to pass as a Beta. Karl had been dating a Beta, but forced to marry an Alpha. On top of that, Karl had spent so much effort trying to be a good little Omega, but at the same time fought to settle down with an Alpha. They were all a mess when he thought about it. They all had been fighting for so long for the things they wanted, even when others kept telling them to act differently.

“Well, maybe one day he will,” Wong said, hesitantly.

“To be honest I don’t think he likes Alphas much. I mean he seems to have a type.”

Wong frowned. 

“He never struck me like that, and I am a good judge of character. It’s why I still hang around you, despite your best efforts to be a huge asshole to everyone. Granted, I am aware of my own faults as well as yours.”

“Just goes to show how poorly you are a judge of character.”

That earned him a snort and a laugh. Stephen felt a bit cheered by it to be honest. Wong rarely laughed, so it was refreshing when Stephen could make him laugh. He went quiet soon after, drinking the tea. 

Quietly they discussed other national and world events, often finding common ground in their opinions. He knew Wong often found him ignorant, and sometimes he was. But it was why he often enjoyed their conversations. Wong knew about a lot of other things, and never stopped Stephen when he went off on one of his medical tangents.

After their conversation died down, Wong left with only a few other words exchanged, none of them beyond commonalities expected. 

As Stephen sat there with another cup of tea, cold and stronger than he liked, he opened the tin. Whatever was inside, he didn’t recognize it at first, but it look good. Something made with care and technique. Knowing Wong though, it was probably not too expensive. He wouldn’t waste such resources on Stephen, and that made Stephen smile wide.

The pastry was dense and thick, most likely high in calorie- another subtitle message from Wong that he looked like crap. The inside was filled with some sort of thick syrupy fruit. When he bit into it, he realized it was just a fancy turnover. It tasted alright with the tea, and for just a little bit he was grateful for another person, but he knew it would be a short lived feeling. Drowning his sorrows in the flakey confection, he had a much needed break from reality for a little while. 

As the following days passed with Stephen following leads on trying to get his next surgery paid for, he began to despair more and more. There was no way he was going to be able to pay for even a plane ticket at this point. He only had a few more days left in his apartment, and soon that too would be gone. 

Sitting against the kitchen island on the floor with a bottle of Jack next to him, he tried to breath in and out slowly. It was getting harder and harder to cope with his situation and thoughts of the future, and it scared him. Up until this point in his life, he had survived so much, but this was an entirely different beast. This destroyed every part of him. He had nothing he could turn to, except the for bottle next to him.

The silence that engulfed the room was stifling and unbearable, but he didn’t care to get up and change the situation by putting on some music. Instead, he put the mouth of the bottle up to his lips and took another sip, remembering how much he actually hated the taste of whiskey. It would do though, as it was his last bottle left of anything. The burn also felt satisfying, as if he didn’t deserve pleasure out of anything anymore.

When it was nearly half gone, he heard a knock on the door. For some reason, he thought it might be Wong with more of the pastry thing he brought last time. Stephen had done him the courtesy of telling him how much he enjoyed the treats and his company that day; a rare instance of him reaching out to another.

Stephen knew that there would be no reason for anyone else to visit him, so he went to open the door with the assumption that it could only be Wong at the door. To his surprise though, Karl Mordo stood in front of him when he opened it. 

Karl looked very different from the last time they met all those years ago. He was dressed casually and seemed to have lost some of that stiffness that plagued his posture when he was younger. His long fingers rubbed at his beard as he was lost in thought for a moment before he realized the door was open. His intense eyes met Stephen’s and shocked him. It stunned him that Karl had seemed to appear out of nowhere. There had been no call, no forewarning. 

The most perplexing thing was why did he show up now after everything? It had been months since his crash, and most who cared a little about him had sent their condolences long ago. 

Maybe it was like what he had talked about with Wong; he was there to ask for a divorce. It would not surprise Stephen. After all, what exactly were they to one another?

“Yea?” Stephen asked.

He was a bit drunker than he realized, and he knew he was a mess from the way that Karl flinched away when he spoke. 

“For fuck’s sake Stephen, what the hell happened to you?”

“Car accident.”

He rolled his eyes in response.

“I know that.”

Karl pushed his way in, and Stephen leaned to the side against the wall before closing the door and following the man. He looked around the apartment as if he were a prospective buyer, examining what was there and what was not. Picking up the bottle of half drank whiskey, he frowned. 

Stephen took a deep breath in, detecting the irritation in Karl’s smell. At the same time he was becoming more intoxicated by his long lost bonded’s smell. He had forgotten so much about his partner in his sham marriage and how much he had actually fallen for the man long ago. It had been so hard when Karl had rejected him and left without saying a real proper goodbye; only leaving a cordial note, as if Stephen had been a host for a weekend getaway. Stephen had tried to call after, but there had been no answer. Karl had properly left him all those years ago, so why was he here now?

“Why y’here?” Stephen asked. 

“To see you obviously.”

“To gloat like the rest of ‘em?”

Karl shook his head in revulsion coming closer to Stephen.

“You’re disgusting. You reek of alcohol, and smell as if you hadn’t showered in a few days. Get into the bathroom,” Karl ordered with a command Stephen had never heard coming from the man before. 

Even though he felt a bit annoyed by his commanding tone, Stephen obeyed him, but decided to slump against the cool tub. It was better than trying to shower or argue. Only Karl wasn’t having it, once again coming into bark at him orders to undress and get in the bath. They both knew that without a wall near the tub, there was no way he was going to be able to shower safely. It had been hard enough to drag himself into the bathroom.

“How are you this drunk on half a bottle of alcohol?”

“Maybe, I had sum tequila b’fore? Or vodka? Not sure.”

“Still acting as though you are 25 I see,” Karl grumbled.

Stephen struggled with his clothes, eventually having Karl help him with removing his shirt. The rest he had been able to do as he had only had on a pair of boxers when answering the door. He hadn’t thought about it at the time, but it wasn’t like he was well known enough in the building that anyone would care to notice and gossip about him.

Karl looked at him as he managed to plop his naked ass into the basin and lean back. He hadn’t wanted to waste money on the boiler, so he had put showering off for a while, not realizing how bad it had gotten. 

When the warm water began to fill the tub, it felt like heaven. Closing his eyes, he forgot about the other man in the room for a little bit. That was until he felt Karl pick up one of his arms and start to scrub at it. He was too tired to insist that he would do it himself, and frankly he was glad that someone was touching him again. The only problem was he was a little too glad that someone was touching him, and he could sense Karl becoming more irritated at his natural bodily reaction. Still he continued to wash Stephen, ignoring that part of him.

As Karl pushed him forward to wash his back, Stephen wondered why he was even doing this. Normally others would have just ordered him into bed. He must have smelled really bad. Karl smelled really good though, and Stephen smiled at this in response. 

He always smelled like fresh laundry, line dried in the spring breeze. A slight floral undertone that was only evident when he was increasingly emotional. Today, he was upset by something -probably Stephen, like everyone else had been.

After moving from Stephen’s upper torso, he went lower to his legs and feet. Again, the other man ignored his painfully obvious half-hard dick. Stephen leaned back against the back of the tub before tilting his head over the side of it.

“Can you touch me?” Stephen asked, breathily.

“I didn’t come here for sex. If I wanted sex, I would get it elsewhere,” Karl scolded.

“Never answered. Why'd ya come?”

“Because I saw the matchmaker at the courthouse the other day. I came back last week from Europe in order to hear the verdict on the criminal case against Kaecilius, but instead found myself burdened by the story of your situation and cannot go back just yet.”

“Oh, and how did that go? Got a few years in Sing Sing.”

Stephen was surprised by the sudden change in Karl’s expression from disdain to pain.

“Of course he got off. Must have gotten to one of the jurors.” 

Karl was bitter, and he had good reason to be. 

“Europe though?”

“Yes, I’ve been living there since I left the country after we parted. I didn’t know about your accident until a few days ago.”

“So ya came here?”

Karl finished touching him in all those places except the one he really wanted touched. Still drunk off the whiskey, he debated if Karl would be angry if he just took care of that himself. He didn’t though, eventually deciding the man would be angry. 

Instead, he tried to get out of the tub to the best of his ability. He fell over, and would have landed in his face if Karl hadn’t been there to catch him. It wasn’t as hard to get to his room as it had been to get out of the tub, but it was not easy either. Already he was starting to feel like garbage before he passed out naked upon his bed, unaware of what had happened to Karl after he had left his room.

The next morning was hell as it always was when he went on one of his benders; a more frequent occurrence in the recent days. Disappointment and depression made his hangover even worse, and he laid on top of his sheets for a good while, wanting to sink into the mattress and die. When the memories from the night came flooding back, he cringed at what an ass he had been. There were a few snippets here and there towards the end that were missing, but he was pretty sure he hadn’t done anything obscenely offensive, asides from asking Karl to jerk him off in the tub. That had not been one of his more seductive moves he had ever tried.

He didn’t move, embarrassed by his state, until he finally rolled the sheets up around him to have some semblance of modesty. Had this been a one night stand, or him not completely being the shit that he was, he would probably parade around naked, but remembering that face as Karl bathed him was not something he wanted to see again. Once again, shame rolled through him about his actions towards Karl.

As he sat there entangled in the fabric, Karl entered his room with a glass of water and two aspirin, giving them both to Stephen.

“Sorry for last night,” Stephen mumbled, his shaky hands taking the gifts from Karl.

Karl shook his head as if to say it was nothing, and walked back out without a word. Watching the man exit, he seemed very different, and Stephen wondered why he hadn’t left entirely after Stephen acted the way he did the night before. There was no real reason why he would have to stay or even feel the obligation to check on Stephen.

After he threw on some underwear and a tshirt, he went out into the empty living room. Karl must have slept on the chilly floor with nothing but the clothes on his back the night before. It was not something Stephen could have anticipated and it made him feel lower than when he had first woken up.

“You didn’t have to come.”

“We’re still married, and you had been there for me after my incident. Despite what you may assume, I’m not heartless.”

“I never thought that. It’s just you left last time when I thought we could-”

He closed his eyes as a wave of unpleasantness overtook him. Deciding not to finish his sentence, he went to stand by the kitchen island.

“You thought we could, what?”

Karl walked over to face him on the other side, looking at him with those intense eyes.

“Try and make a go of it? It was foolish, you obviously didn’t want me.”

They stood there in silence as a range of emotions crossed Karl’s face and his scent became muddled with all sorts of undertones. It was startling.

“You were the one who left me alone days and days on end, Stephen. I realized that was just the rebound for your girlfriend. Someone safe for you to seduce.”

There was an edge to Karl’s voice that was shocking, and the allegations were unexpected.

“I was working. I would have come home sooner if I hadn’t been in surgeries and doing research. I didn’t even have time to come home and shower. I had to do it at the gym nearby. Besides, you were never a rebound. If anything I was your rebound.”

He realized at that moment with the way that Karl looked at him, they were both idiots. They had been idiots, and even if he were at fault for maybe not communicating as well as he should due to the fact that he was a busy surgeon at the time, Karl had not been clear with his feelings as well. 

“Never mind,” Stephen finally sighed, “I told Wong that I wanted to bond with someone who I could leave alone for long periods of time. It probably wouldn’t have worked out, like you said in that note. But I have had feelings for you since our bonding. I tried to write it off as a side effect of the bonding, but now, I don’t think it was that. Only you had your insane boyfriend at the time.” 

“Why didn’t you say anything when I was staying with you?” Karl's voice becoming more heated.

Karl pressing him on why he never had confessed feelings that he barely understood himself, made him feel more stressed by the current situation.

“Because! Because, I couldn’t. The only reason I can say it now is because I have nothing anymore. I have no career, no family, no pride, no shame, nothing. Actually, you should just leave. I am nothing but bad news Karl, and you should be running. You should have ran last night.”

Quiet once again settled over the empty apartment as it became apparent that this was bottom for Stephen. Both of them knew it. There was no denying it, and Stephen couldn’t fathom why Karl would even care about this now. 

“Damn you, Stephen Strange. You think I care about any of that? Maybe I’m a fool, but if you had even just said ‘I’m sorry, please stay’ I would have in a heartbeat.”

He paused out of frustration before continuing, “And if you think you’re going to scare me off now, you're more of a fool than I ever was.”

He moved quickly. Three, four steps in less than the same amount of second. Karl didn’t hesitate as he pressed his mouth roughly upon Stephen’s, demanding that Stephen return his kiss. After the first nanosecond of surprise, Stephen greedily obliged.

If someone told him a month before that he and Karl Mordo would be devouring each other in the kitchen area of his apartment, he would have called them delusional. Furthermore, if someone had then told them that he would be naked within 2 minutes of both of them beginning to devour one another, he would have laughed and assumed they were on something. Yet, there he was with Karl’s broad hands all over his body, pulling him against Karl’s clothed form. Stephen's hands shakily traveling up into the man’s sweater and under the shirt he was wearing. Feeling Karl grab his ass, he moaned into Karl’s mouth.

Karl pushed him away, tossing his sweater and shirt off with one quick motion, dropping his pants and underwear almost as quickly. They were both naked and all over one another. Stephen in his wild state turned Karl around and pressed him over the counter of the island. He molded himself against the slightly shorter, bulkier man; his face pressed nearl Karl’s ear. 

Thrusting his hips, his erect cock rubbed up and downtime crack of Karl’s ass, and Karl whimpered as Stephen aggressively nipped at whatever piece of flesh that took his fancy at the moment. For sure there would be some marks in a few hours, as he didn’t hold back.

“Touch yourself,” Stephen demanded, breathing heavily.

He hadn’t lost control like this in a while, but he wanted this man and this feeling so badly. Skin against skin felt wonderful. Even though he pressed his hands into the other man’s hips to the point that it hurt, he only stopped so that he could position his cock in between Karl’s thighs, so that when he thrusted the head of his cock would hit the back of the other man’s testicles. The precum from his cock leaked out to the point where there wasn’t as much friction as before and he could slide a bit easier -the remaining friction intensifying the feeling. It felt fantastic and his hangover didn’t seem as bad as before. 

It got better as Karl twisted so that Stephen could sloppily kiss him, not comfortable enough to do anything else. 

“Stephen!” Karl yelped pulling away. 

He knew the man was coming with the way that his body shook and Stephen continued to thrust until he dirtied Karl’s pretty thighs. He took his hand to spread them slightly before he smeared the cum into them. The sheen of it was mesmerizing underneath his broken hands. Only when Karl turned around did his concentration break, eyes meeting eyes. Everything overwhelming Stephen at the moment.

“You’re like a dream,” Stephen finally said, his voice threatening to crack. “And I’m going to wake up passed out on my floor. All of this not real.”

“It’s real, and I’m a mess now.”

The complaint lacked any real bite to it; it sounded more a statement of fact. 

“Do you want me to return the favor you showed me last night?” Stephen asked.

Lust filled his expression. 

Karl nodded before speaking, “Only this time join me. There is room for two.”

So he did, and he took his time to wash Karl, placing kisses upon his skin as he did it. It was a bit bewildering how everything had happened, but Stephen didn’t regret it.

Karl pressed against him as the lukewarm water danced around their forms. 

“You really have nothing, don’t you?” He enquired quietly.

“Yea. I understand if you want to go after today. I can’t burden you with that.”

“Come to the town house with me. I don’t like to be there alone. It’s so empty now.”

They both knew he wasn’t scared of being alone. The gesture was appreciated and had he been a better man he might have rejected the offer, but he was not a better man. 

“I have to be out of this place soon anyways,” Stephen confessed. 

“I thought as much. We can try to figure out things until you find your bearings again.”

Moving abruptly away from Stephen and getting out of the tub, Karl looked at him as he dried off, his expression calculating. It unnerved Stephen a little, trying to determine if Karl was judging him or the situation.

“Thank you. I know we’ve had an odd history together, but I appreciate it,” Stephen said finally.

“When I had no one, you were there, and you could have walked away. I can’t forget that.” 

With that, Karl left the bathroom, and Stephen sat in the cold water for a good while trying to ignore the remnants of his hangover.

 

.oOo.

 

With almost as many items as the first time he moved into the townhouse, he moved in a second time. Both of them were quiet and tense as they put everything in his old room. After that morning at his now former apartment, a coldness settled between them. Stephen knew it due to the unknown. Unknown pasts and unknown futures swirled around them. Karl was different from before. Even if he practiced the same quiet thoughtfulness, he was harden now after everything that happened since their last meeting. They both were hardened in many ways, and it made talking that much more difficult, not that it was easy before.

Taking a breath in, Stephen stood near the bed with his hands placed lightly on his hips. His back straightened and he looked around. It was almost the same as it had been those 15 years ago. 

Biting his dry lips, he thought about how almost everything was the same as then. Except now he felt like he was starting again, but he had no prospects. Dread filled him at the thought.

“You don’t have to sleep in here, but if you want to I understand. I’m not quite sure how much you meant a few days ago.”

Stephen turned to look at Karl in the door frame. His facial expression guarded, but his posture said more than enough. There was a confident interest in it and gave Stephen pause. 

“I meant every word.”   

“Think on it. It’s a lot to take in.”

It had been a lot to take in, and for a little bit of time, he could forget that he had all these other issues surrounding him. Yet, he felt calm for a second or two as they stood there. He had a roof over his head, and although he still had to try to raise enough money for his next surgery, at least he wouldn’t be on the street. He took comfort in the fact that he didn’t have to go crawling back to one of those many people he had alienated. He knew Wong would have probably taken him in if he begged, but Wong still intimidated him in many other ways. He didn’t want to lose his only friend. It was easier taking Karl’s help, even if he couldn't ask for it.

When Karl left to go downstairs, Stephen sat on the bed he once slept on and thought about a lot of things: where he was going, where he would wind up, what he was going to do, but nothing really resolved itself. The only constant factors in his life were the light pain in his hands and uncertainty. 

As he went back downstairs, he passed all those door that had been closed to him before, and he wonder if it would still be the same now. All those little regulations to keep them seperate seemed to have been taken down and apart, but he couldn’t help but pause at how serious Karl had about them when they first met. 

Now, it seemed that this was an exchange similarly to ‘if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’. Everything more relaxed than before as over the past 15 years they had let each other see slivers of their lives. Gone was any threat of any big secrets being exposed. Those had all come out long ago.

They would need to talk more. This was unfamiliar territory for him at least. And he wondered how could he begin to express himself sufficiently to another person, when he had stuffed those feelings down within himself long, long ago.

He and Karl didn’t see each other until evening when they shared an awkward dinner together with both of them more nervous than earlier in the day. As they picked at their food, nothing of any significance was said. Not even when Stephen gave up on trying to fight with his tough cut of meat did they try to begin to unpack some of the things they would have to deal with. It wouldn't come out. They couldn’t even fathom broaching the many topics they should deal with. Part of him was grateful, but he knew it would only be a matter of time. It loomed over them.

They parted once more after dinner, Karl giving the excuse that he needed to respond to some correspondence. Stephen had nothing. He gave up on trying to follow all of his regular routines after the fourth surgery, and took to listening to music instead. Eventually settling in the living room, that is what he did while he stared at the cold, unlit fireplace. It looked like it was all for show, probably one of those gas ones, but Stephen didn’t go and examine it. Instead he continued to stare as his mood changed from a tense pent up energy to morose sleepiness.

Only when he felt a hand on his shoulder was he drawn from his contemplations. He looked up to see Karl standing there. 

Taking his headphones off, he waited for the other man to start speaking. 

“Why don’t we go upstairs?”

Reluctantly he followed Karl upstairs, first going to his rooms to retrieve and put on some pajamas. Unlike that night when Karl bathed him, he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries that may be there.

When he came into Karl’s room, the door already open, the man was sleeping on his side facing the window side of the bed. His back towards Stephen seemed to put up walls that were not there before. Stephen knew it might be all in his head. Climbing in, he gave the other man space, but surprisingly Karl turned over to face him.

“You don’t smell anymore, and I know it’s your choice, but I don’t want any illegal activities in this house anymore.”

Stephen blinked, unsure of what he was referring to for a second. Then he remembered how all those years ago, when he was stupidly trying to be edgier than he was, had lied about how he masked his scent. 

He chuckled at the memory of his former self, and Karl looked at him.

“The medication isn’t illegal. It’s a side effect from a certain brand of hay fever pills. I was an idiot all those years ago and lied about it. Despite my roguish charm, I wouldn’t risk my licence to practice as a doctor for some pills.”

“Oh, but you told me they brought you up on charges at the hospital.”

“Yea, on a false ethics violation. It didn’t stick because it was a legal prescription. They just made me change the prescription at the time. Now though, I don’t have a job anymore.” 

“I had no idea,” he replied shyly.

“I know,” Stephen smiled weekly.

The soft light from the lamp next to the bed created a nice glow and provided enough light for them to see one another.

“I can’t go through what I did all those years ago. The police and everything, and Kae doing all of those things under my nose, using me. I don’t think you’ll be the same, but,” he paused, “I’m not sure now if I wouldn’t have taken him back if he had showed up at the hospital. If you hadn’t been there anyways.”

There was so much shame and fear Karl gave off when he said that. Stephen knew because he could smell all of it coming off his bonded. 

Stephen slid closer, understanding that they both had things holding them back. Karl also came closer settling in so that his head against Stephen's shoulder. Stephen took a deep breath in, and immediately felt a little better than before. He had forgotten how calming it was.

They didn’t say anything for a while, taking in the comfort of being in the presence another human being. However, curiosity seemed to get the best of Karl as looked at Stephen before asking, “Did you really take a knot, or was that another lie?”

Stephen was a bit surprised by the question, but the image must have stuck with the man after he told him that all those years ago. It seemed like almost yesterday when he saw the incredulous expression upon the other man’s face. 

It was an interesting trip down memory lane that evening. 

“No, that was true. That was in undergrad though, I was a bit more wild then.”

He smiled to himself thinking about that time. There had been a lot of things he had done to cope with some of the pain that he had been going through from the sudden loss of his sister. That one he had never regretted.

“You are a very unexpected type of person.”

“Most people hate that kind of thing. I’m glad I haven’t scared you away yet.”

Karl pressed himself a little closer to settle in. He didn’t say or ask about anything else, and Stephen didn’t as well. Instead the listened to the soft sounds of the busy night outside.

 

.oOo.

 

It wasn’t going to be all sunshine and lollipops forever despite him and Karl being able to quietly get by and open up a little more than they had before. Distrust still lingered underneath their progress. For two people who had so many unfortunate things happen to them it was expected. There was too much history between them, and too many ghost that they both carried around like chains.

As Wong sat in the living room with Stephen, reminding him of this very fact, it gnawed at Stephen more than it should. Sometimes Wong was more of a pain than he liked, because the man spoke with so much reason.

“How long do you think he will be able to have you take from him until he kicks you out?”

Moments before, Wong had been glaring at him as Stephen told him all that had happened in the past few weeks.

“Think about it, Stephen. He spent years with his boyfriend living off of him, draining his resources and love. And what do you bring to the table?”

Stephen stayed silent, trying to bite his tongue, but finding it more difficult with each statement.

“When I get my hands fixed,” he started to protest before he was cut off.

“Give it up, Stephen. You're not going to find the money, or be able to get your hands fixed. You’ve already had seven surgeries and spent millions.”

It hurt more hearing it from Wong than it had from anyone else. It was hard to understand why it hurt so badly, as he had heard it all before. 

“I have to.”

“You’re not going to get a cure or be fixed. You’re smart and you have to find a different way, but you can do it. It’s time to admit to yourself it’s over. If you don’t find something though, you will wind up destroying not only yourself, but your husband.”

“Like you care about him.”

“No, maybe not, but I care about you. I also know that whatever he has gone through is not a walk in the park.”

Stephen didn’t understand. How did Wong know so much about Karl? They were not friendly, and he didn’t even think Karl remembered Wong’s name, often only referring to him as ‘the matchmaker’. Although Stephen had told Wong a bit about Karl’s past, it was never at any great length or detail. He didn’t understand why Wong was so invested in the two of them anyways. At that moment it was irritating him to no end.

“Look, you have no idea about what you are talking about.”

Wong sighed loudly, before narrowing his eyes and frowning.

“You are a moron. While you were busy licking your wounds, did you ever wonder why his ex still roams the streets free despite organizing the whole attack on your husband?”

Shamefully, he didn’t know. He didn’t know why Karl’s ex wasn’t prosecuted for his crimes, because he hadn’t even known there was a case. Sure, it was probably reported on and covered, but he hadn’t been keeping up with local news. It wasn’t the big stuff, and Stephen had his own shit going on at the time. 

Wong looked upset at Stephen.

“They painted him as some promiscuous, shady character involved in some weird love triangle. Most likely creating doubt in the jury's mind that this man, who if you ever had a conversation with would know, was a victim in all of this.”

Stephen closed his eyes. Even though Wong had not said it directly, he could guess that the defense used his fake marriage against him, blamed Karl for the attack, and brought up every stereotype that could have been brought up. Karl was a black, foreign, gay, bonded Omega who, despite being very conservative in some ways, refused to live by their rules. 

Hearing about this made Stephen's heart drop into his stomach. He hadn’t taken any of this into consideration, because it hadn’t been him. Even if he had been in the same circumstances, he knew that the outcomes would have been very different. It made him sick once he realized what had happened right before Karl had come back to Stephen. 

Stephen barely registered Wong’s expression softening from one of hate into one of disappointment when he saw that Stephen understood. 

“I’m sure that if you remind him too much of the man he had been living with, he will toss you out. At least I hope so. I don’t know though,  as some people stay stupid forever, but mark my words, Stephen, it would be best you find something to do with yourself instead of chasing after something that probably won’t happen. Surgeries haven’t changed you yet. I just wonder how many times do you need to put yourself through failure before you start to realize that the past is closed to you now.”

At that moment, Wong was the most vicious person in Stephen’s opinion, creating doubt in his mind where others could not. Still, part of him wanted to protest that there was still a possibility, but he was also reeling from all the other information Wong had tossed into his corner just now.

All of his time that he had spent fighting his own battles against being an Alpha seemed to pale in comparison. Even if they were valid in their own right, he couldn’t imagine what kind of effect Karl’s status had on Karl. Yet, the man carried on as if it were merely another day. 

And his attacker roamed free. That was the scariest part of all, since he had been on the receiving end of Kaecilius’ rage. He knew exactly the kind of man Kaecilius was, and he was stunned that the prosecution had not asked him to be a character witness or something. He would have done it. Chalking it up to the fact that they probably gave the case to some idiot rookie prosecutor didn’t make him feel better. 

“He should have contacted me,” Stephen finally said, hanging his head. 

“Why would he? You’re not the first person I would turn to for emotional support, especially before your accident.”

“But I’m his husband.”

Wong didn’t even need to say it; his expression painted a very clear picture. He was never truly a husband -only on paper. With one conversation and one look, Stephen once again was thrusted into moral conflict, something he had not felt in a very long time.

Getting up, Wong walked over to him and put his hand on Stephen’s shoulder.

“Don’t beat yourself up over the past. Move forward, and I’m serious that you need to think about what consequences there might be if you take too much from him. It’s your choice, but I honestly have never seen you connect with another human being like this before. But you two idiots keep hurting one another, and that’s got to stop.”

Stephen nodded numbly and looked up at his friend. After a few minutes he got up to show Wong out, leaving him alone once again to be trapped in his head for another day. 

Nothing appealed to him, but for some reason his conversation with Wong provided some new insight into the situation he found himself in. New bits of information combined with his suggestions made Stephen want to reexamine what he was doing currently.

When Karl came back from his office, or gallery, or wherever it was he went every day, Stephen could only look at him. Staring at the scar upon his face and his weary but soft expression made Stephen pause to consider how much he had missed over the past years. He should have done better and been better, but he had run like he did from every intimate relationship. Although he had tried to contact Karl, he had not tried hard enough. He couldn’t ignore his shortcomings anymore.

As they sat together in the living room, Stephen couldn’t help but eventually mention that he had seen Wong in the afternoon, apologizing he hadn’t told Karl about letting him in.

“Oh, that is... Things are different now, as I am sure you know.”

Stephen nodded. There was no need to mention they were both free men now. Him without many friends and no family, and Karl freed from his ex.

“I should have been there for you,” Stephen admitted.

“You were there for me, then we had a bit of a misunderstanding.”

Stephen’s brow raised at that interpretation.

“I, once again, was too self-involved. Don’t try to paint it as a misunderstanding. We both know that is not true.”

Karl looked away, not wanting to concede the point to Stephen. The man always seemed like he wanted to believe the best in others, more so than most people Stephen had ever encountered. 

“Stephen, it’s in the past. Leave it there.”

But his heart felt the same sort of guilt it had always felt. He should have lived up to higher standards. He always pushed himself to succeed, but now he only seemed to succeed in failure.

“I don’t know if that is possible. Especially if you want to try to have a future together.”

It nearly hurt to say the words, because he was so nervous. This was his true desire without dressing it up. 

“I want that.” He shifted in his chair, and then his tone changed, “I don’t know what will happen, but I don’t think we can be rid of one another even if we wanted. And I don’t want that at all.”

“Okay. So, how do we do this? You know better than I do.”

Karl smirked, but sadness always lurked behind his eyes. 

“Well for one, you could share my next heat with me in a few weeks.”

He had forgotten about the fact Karl would go through heats. Although the thought always lurked in the back of his head, he had been so focused on trying to make things better, he forgot that it was something they would eventually do again if they wanted to be together. It was something he would like to experience again, especially now that they finally had come to this point in acknowledging their feelings for one another. 

Karl waited, looking as though he wanted to mention something else, so Stephen racked his brain for what it could be.

“Ah, you’ll need some of my health reports won’t you?”

Sheepishly, Karl nodded. No matter how much had changed between them, some things never did. That streak of proper manners still lay underneath his much rougher current facade. Although he could talk more directly, Stephen guessed there were still things that were not talked about. 

It would be a lie if he said it wasn’t attractive to him. Karl’s hesitation was refreshing.

“I’ll give you mine in a few days. They will have to be translated.”

Over the past few years, it had become standard practice for employers and insurance companies around the world to enforce mandatory health checks for every Alpha and Omega as the belief that they were ‘higher risk’ for sexually transmitted diseases seemed to proliferate in the media. Stephen and most others knew this to be a lie, but it made a lot of people rich, so it would continue without opposition until they tried to force this kind of thing upon the Betas. 

“Heats don’t make a relationship though,” Stephen quietly reminded him.

“No, but I would never share something so intimate with someone who meant little to me.”

At that moment, he knew Karl never shared a heat with anyone else, just like Stephen. Hearing the words though, made his heart skip a beat faster and the air to become thicker. They had many more days to figure things out, and he wasn’t sure if they could share in a lot of other thing, but he guessed it didn’t matter. Karl felt like home for some reason and he understood why Karl had said they couldn’t be rid of one another. Somehow, through all the difficulties and problems, they had connected on such a level that was inconceivable in Stephen’s mind. It wasn’t logical, and at this point he didn’t even think it was physiological either. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want it to ever end, because it was the only thing he had right now. 

Eventually, they both retired to bed, and Stephen curled up against Karl, pressing a few light kisses upon his skin before falling asleep. 

Over the next few days papers were exchanged and Stephen found a renewed sense of determination in his life. Eventually his mind slowly turned away from fixations of surgeries and onto finding a different path for himself. Yet, it wasn’t easy, knowing that so many paths were closed to him because he could barely hold a pencil, let alone write with one. Then there was typing. He could type, but it was the hunt and peck method, slowing down correspondence to almost nothing, forget about a job that required massive amounts of typing. 

After that he decided to go back to physical therapy, to see if eventually he could get his hands to be able to just do one of those things. The first time was hard, and when Karl came home, he found Stephen sitting in the living room with a very dark expression plastered on his face. Stephen hadn’t told Karl about what he did that day, and Karl didn’t ask. Instead, he just climbed in Stephen’s lap to cheer him up. It was amazing how such a little thing turned his mood around. Karl was much more at ease initiating physical contact, and it surprised Stephen. 

As for work, it wasn’t going to be easy to go back. He thought about consulting, but something held him back. There was fear though that laid underneath that idea, with him not sure if he could face other doctors in that capacity. It was silly, but he had fallen so far. It was hard to climb out of the hole he was in.

Then one day he suddenly received a call from Nic. Knowing Nic, it was probably partially from guilt, as it came with the opportunity to do some low stress public speaking to a group of pre-med students at his old alma matter. Stephen thought it would be a good change from his daily task of wrestling with his demons and agreed to it.

He didn’t tell Karl, as he didn’t think it was worth mentioning. It was a really small job for a very small fee and would lead to nothing. 

A few days before Karl’s heat, he went to the school. It felt odd to be back, and even odder when he saw all the changes that had been made. The student too seemed very different, and there was for sure some more diversity among the student body. Some changes were quite welcomed.

Before it was his turn to speak, he looked out into the small auditorium style classroom. It contained less than 50 students, many of them looking bored by the speaker before him. 

His talk on the method that he had perfected with Christine would also not be a crowd pleaser. At the end, he was required to do a question and answer session by the professor in charge. That was when things started to get a little more interesting.

Picking on the students who seemed the most interested, their questions were rote and tedious for the most part, until a tiny woman, a bit older than the others, stood up to ask a question.

He had not prepared for such a question like the one she asked.

She cleared her throat before she began, which told him that it would be a lengthy one. Normally he hated people who couldn't get to the point, but a few other students had seemingly woken up as she stood up. This in turn spiked his interest. The others seemed to be interested in her as well. 

“I was reading a bit about your history, and it said that you're a doctor of status. I was curious if you’ve had some hardships because of this? What advice can you give to other future practicing doctors of status?”

Doctors of status- how he hated that term. It almost sounded important, but it wasn’t. It was just another way to say that they were not the same. They were the others. Another way to separate doctors from other doctors.

After the woman asked the question, some were very interested, while others rolled their eyes, reminding Stephen on why the topic was still relevant.

“How to answer that,” Stephen began, starting to feel impassioned by some of the reactions in the audience, “Fifteen years ago, I was made to bond with someone I did not love to start my residency. Twelve years ago, I was brought up on trumped up charges by an ethics committee because of a medication masked my scent. Then eight years ago was the hardest point of my career as a ‘doctor of status’ as you put.”

He paused as most of the students were now listening intently. Stephen felt slightly disparaged by the future of medicine, but continued anyway.

“When they wouldn't let me visit my husband in the ICU after he had been attacked, it made me realize how the system works against us. In most ways it works against us,” he paused to collect his thoughts once again.

“Up until that point I never questioned the regulation that Alpha doctors be kept away from the ICU, even though I know there is absolutely no medical basis for it. I’d hand my cases off to the head nurse, or another Omega doctor and not think about it. I should have though, I should have thought more or done something. So to be honest, it wasn’t even being a doctor that bothered me. What bothered me was the fact that it felt more wrong because I was a doctor. I know all the medical facts and know that there was no reason to be kept away. Only I had ignored it until that moment when it affected me on a personal level.”

His voice became heated and it nearly broke at one point from all the emotions he was feeling. 

“I’m not going to pretend that we had been very close, but if he had died without me being able to talk or see him one more time, that would have haunted me forever. I carried too many ghosts from before and it scared me more than anything to think it was possible I would have to carry one more.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Now, imagine if we had had a close relationship for decades. Imagine how devastated I would have been if we had that kind of relationship.”

The room was silent as most of them thought upon what he had said.

“Yea, at that moment, at least according to the hospital, wasn’t a doctor, but that is the problem of being a doctor of status. We never lose that status and they won’t ever let you forget it when you are a doctor or not.”

He felt frustrated by how he had gone off on his tangent, and cringed inwardly as the audience stared back at him. People in the room could have heard a pin drop at that moment. The organizer of the talk did not look happy when Stephen finally looked over to the side. However, he didn’t care and chose to end the talk there to a smattering of claps in the audience. 

Stephen felt almost as bad as he did after one of his physical therapy sessions and by the time he got home, he had given up. But then Karl came home, and it didn’t really matter as all those feelings from earlier in the day started to come back. 

He had not only a second chance, but he had love, or at least the beginnings of love. It didn’t matter what it was at that moment, as long as it was there. 

Looking up at his bonded from his normal seat in the living room, he just smiled. Karl looked at him with surprise.

“You seem cheerful today.” He remarked with a jovial note in his voice.

“Let’s go out to dinner tonight,” Stephen said.

“Why?”

“We’ve never eaten out together, and it will be at least almost another week before we can go out if we don’t do it tonight.”

Karl agreed, and that is what they did. When they came back though, Stephen couldn’t keep his hands off Karl. He only managed to not start in the cab because Karl swatted him away, but once they were through the those doors, that was it. 

Between smothering the man with kisses and greedily grabbing at him no matter how painful it became, Stephen only stopped to breath. All of their history stayed in the back of his mind making him feel the need to make something of their future; to hold on to it tighter than he had with anything else. Tired of losing all of the people he loved and all the things he loved, he needed Karl to know that this was real.

Only most words were not sufficient and the ones that were, were too scary to say at this moment. Instead, he was going to show what he felt.


	6. Family

Things changed one evening, as if the past few weeks had not existed in some ways. Before their dinner out one evening, he often found Stephen sitting in the living room depressed, but for some reason that night he practically jumped up and swept Karl off his feet all of a sudden. It was unexpected, but not unwelcomed. 

At dinner that night, part of him wanted to ask if there was some sort of breakthrough in his life as Stephen's mood was quite different from before. But they had been having such a good time, and he didn’t want to poke and prod ending it all too soon. Instead, Karl enjoyed the sparkle in his husband’s eyes as they laughed about stupid things, and Stephen spent a good amount of time telling him wild stories of his days as a medical resident. Passion seeped through every story and he had an energy about him Karl had rarely seen. It was like something or someone had turned on a light in during the day when Karl was gone. He was magic. As cliched as it sounded, Stephen managed to create an electric atmosphere when he wanted to. Karl couldn’t help but be enthralled. 

After their meal had finished, Stephen couldn’t keep his hands off of him, going as far as to embarrass him in front of others as his hand traveled down from Karl’s waist to his ass as they waited for a cab. They hadn’t had anything to drink, but Stephen seemed drunk off his own lust, barely able to even contain himself until they got home. 

The man was all passion, contrasting with the cold, closed off calm he had been when Karl left for work in the morning. Pressing Karl up against the wall of the entranceway and mouthing at the bond mark, all of it was overwhelming. Even if Stephen’s senses seemed a bit dulled compared to Karl’s, he must have been drowning in their scents mixing so close to his heat and all. No one could ignore the signals coming off of either of them at this point. 

Groaning as Stephen nipped at his collarbone, he felt his own knees nearly give out as Stephen’s right knee parted his legs to rub up against his groin. It was infectious how strongly Stephen felt. 

“Don’t stop,” Karl groaned. 

“Never. I’m not giving you up again.”

It had been curious to hear such a declaration, but as long as Stephen felt and treated him like this, he wouldn’t mind hearing it every day, all day. In return for Stephen’s honesty, Karl grabbed Stephen’s mouth and smashed their lips together, giving into the aggressive edge that he knew Stephen probably yearned for. Stephen was all fervor after all; positive or negative. It didn’t matter as he long as did it with enthusiasm, and Karl would oblige the best he could to match Stephen’s desire.

Karl nearly fell when Stephen removed his knee to drop down to a kneeling position. He began to ravenously open Karl’s trousers, like a starved man in front of a feast. Without missing a beat, he pulled Karl’s cock from its confines, not bothering to deal with anything else. He seemed to be in a rush.

Groaning as Stephen’s mouth was upon him, he looked down to see Stephen’s pink tinged face and those lovely lips wrapped around the head of his cock. His tongue teasing the underside. But he wanted more, and he grabbed Stephen’s hair, maybe a little too roughly in his haste, urging him to take in more. 

Stephen got the hint. There was no denying that he was a clever man, and perhaps that would be Karl’s downfall, as he did things to Karl that made him feel feelings that he had not felt in a long time. Having had a few partners since they last met, he knew that Stephen was one of the better ones, and he gave a shallow thrust believing Stephen was ready. Only he was surprised by Karl’s behavior and sputtered for a moment. 

“Sorry, my love.”

He froze as Stephen recovered his bearings, before releasing the clump of hair he had been holding on to. He didn’t mean to say that; it had come out naturally. It had felt so correct, and that made him recoil in fear on the inside. After a second though, he noticed that Stephen hadn’t seemed to hear it as he focused on taking all of Karl in, as if the thrust from before had been taken as a challenge. He seemed to have a one track mindedness that Karl was grateful for.

After a few more moments of watching half lidded eyes occasionally look up at him as his cock kept disappearing and reappearing from between Stephen’s lips, he forgot what he said as well. And after a little more time, Stephen released him to take in a good breath. Reflexively, Karl whined from the lack of a warm, wet mouth. 

As he looked at Stephen, Stephen smiled up at him. Stephen’s hand curled around his hard cock, and Karl couldn’t help how beautiful he was with those eyes. It felt harder to breathe, as if his chest were being crushed. 

“It’s been a while, but I’m good now. Don’t hold back this time. Fuck my mouth. Even if I struggle a bit, just keep going.”

Sometimes he didn’t know if Stephen were mad or if he lived off of adrenaline. At that instant, he didn’t care. All he could do was obey, repositioning, and placing his cock against that gorgeously reddened and every so slightly swollen mouth before pushing in. First he was slow, but made sure to go all the way in with Stephen’s throat tightening around him when he was.

It had been a long time since he did this kind of thing. Normally he had been on the giving end, but this was heavenly too, watching Stephen doing well in the beginning before struggling as Karl picked up his pace. 

He did hold back though, especially when he saw water well up in the other man’s eyes and Stephen’s face turned red. Yet, he knew the man was enjoying it immensely. There was something serene about Stephen’s demeanor, as if he need it spiritually, even if his face was a beautiful mess at this point.

Running his hands through Stephen’s hair, he gave a warning before he came; cum spilling down Stephen’s throat and his body tensing. He grabbed at Stephen’s shoulder with his other hand to steady himself as his eyes closed and he tilted his head back. He didn’t let up until he started to feel a bit weak in the knees as his orgasm subsided. 

When he regained enough of his senses, he pulled away from Stephen, who took in another few ragged breaths. Looking down, Karl saw the palm of his hand was pressed against the bulge in his trousers. Karl knew just by looking at him, it wouldn’t take long for the other man to come, and he extended his hand out to pull Stephen up so they were kissing. Slow and soft kisses, distracted them from the fact that Karl had a bit of a struggle with Stephen’s zip, his hands shaking from the overwhelming feelings assaulting his person. Not only was he physically overly stimulated, emotionally it was more difficult than usual, his thoughts still caught on his earlier mistake.

When he finally had Stephen in hand, it didn’t take long before globs of his seed splattered on Karl’s pants. He didn’t see it, but the way Stephen’s body shook against his, it was obvious. Their kisses continued well after Stephen’s orgasm finished and he rested against Karl’s person, the weight reminding them that this was real.

When their enthusiasm died out, they stayed together for a while, exchanging bodily heat and comfort in their breathing. In near silence, they managed to straighten themselves out a little before heading up the stairs and into the bedroom. 

For the rest of the night they laid together, content. Karl enjoyed being held once again, and every so often when Stephen would nuzzle against him, he felt glad he had another chance at love.

 

.oOo.

 

When he came into work the Thursday after his heat, he opened his emails and went to work like it was any other day. And when his assistant came in in the afternoon, they greeted one another like they always did, only she kept looking at him. Normally, she was a good worker who came in and then would get to work despite being only part time. As he had come to find out since hiring her a month or so ago, she was much more clever than others who had her position before and he felt a bit bad that he could not offer her a full time position after she graduated. After the economy became difficult and all of his legal woes, it was impossible to keep the New York office fully staffed, especially since his office in Paris needed it more. One day he hoped to get back to that level, but it was still a few years off. 

“What is it, Zelma?” He asked.

“You know that your husband is quite famous now and they’ve been talking about you two on the internet right?”

Stephen had always been famous, but he didn’t understand why they would be talking about him all of a sudden. Unless it had something to do with Kae. It could be another tabloid hit piece upon good law abiding citizens like Stephen, but he had paid so many people off to keep the fact that he was married out of the papers at the time. It was bad enough that they had to bring it up in court, but in the public as well would have been unbearable. He hadn’t wanted to hurt Stephen’s career.

“Stephen was an accomplished surgeon. I’m sure that he will continue to gain recognition even if he isn’t practicing.”

From the way she looked at him, he guess that it was something else entirely. Then she rolled her eyes in that irritating way that only young people could be. 

“It’s blowing up. Here, look.”

She shoved her phone at him in a way that would have been considered rude if he hadn’t understood her intent. Taking it from her, he looked at the screen and a video started playing from one of those sites that gave people soundbite social news, not a real news outlet. It was a bit surprising, as it was Stephen talking, and most recently by the way his scarred hands grasped at the edges of the podium. He recognized it as being that night Stephen had started to open up a bit more with the man wearing the same clothes he had been at dinner.

Feeling flustered, Karl had to make himself watch the whole thing, complete with subtitles for good measure. It wasn’t the whole speech, but only a question he had answered. 

At first he had felt uncomfortable by it, as even though he hadn’t been mentioned by name, it was still very personal. It wasn’t something they had even discussed, but unlike the audience, he knew every detail Stephen was referencing. 

Things started to make sense with Stephen obviously coming to some realization that night they had gone out to dinner. There had been such a drastic change, and after viewing the recording, he could understand that Stephen realized he had a second chance.

Karl felt a bit embarrassed that he was so pleased with all of it. He felt special for once. No one really spoke about him in that way before. Sure, he had met others who cared for him, but not to the extent that he could see from Stephen. 

“I hope I meet someone who feels as strongly about me as you two do about each other.”

If Zelma had given him a wink and a nudge, it would have been less heavy handed than the look she was giving him after she said that. Karl was taken aback by the statement as she seemed to have the wrong impression, but he wasn’t going to lay out his relationship to her.

“Do you have those invoices ready?” He asked as steadily as he could.

She sighed loudly as he handed her phone back to her and she returned to what she was doing.

Before he got home late that night, well after dinner time, he managed to find the video and save it to his phone. He tried to maintain the courage to ask Stephen about it directly, feeling a little odd about Stephen not mentioning it before. Granted with the dinner and then his heat starting the night after, they hadn’t really had time to talk about such things.

As he walked towards the living room, he could hear Stephen talking in a low voice with someone. He paused as a second voice responded. Stephen had a guest, and Karl figured it was the matchmaker, Wong. He knew Stephen and him were friends, but hadn’t actually expected to meet the man again. Instead, he held back and decided to go in the kitchen. However, before he could get to the stairs Stephen called to him. 

He knew it was because Stephen could smell him; their scent stronger for a few days before and after the heat. With some trepidation he entered the room to find the matchmaker sitting there. Asides from the very brief encounter outside of the court house in one of the small parks nearby, the last time he saw the man was the day he met Stephen for the first time. Now, there he sat with the same expression as he had all those years ago. It was odd that he and Stephen became friends as they seemed quite different in many ways. They were an awfully odd pair.

Greeting the man and sitting down, Karl sat straight up on the edge of his seat, folding one leg upon the other so one ankle met a knee. He looked at Stephen, who sat as comfortable as could be, and he wondered if this would be a regular occurrence. Never before had he dated someone who lived with him and wanted to bring friends around. Even though he had been with people who showed him off at parties, it wasn’t quite the same.

“Karl?” Stephen asked.

He had been focusing on other things and found Stephen waiting for him to answer.

“It seems your husband has become quite the celebrity over night. Even I am getting calls about your case, although I have no idea how they got a hold of that information. Not that I would tell them anything,” Wong grumbled.

“Yes. It was quite a shock,” Karl said, looking at Stephen while replying.

“We haven’t gotten a chance to talk,” Stephen mumbled.

“Well, you’ll have to do it sometime. Stephen, may I have some more water?” Wong asked.

For some reason, Karl felt as he was doing it on purpose, sending Stephen out of the room. He has a feeling that he was going to be bullied. There was a roughness about Wong’s eyes that was intimidating. Karl remembered when they first met, he had this overwhelming desire to push back in little ways with his speech and posture. He probably was not very good at it and seemed to have some trouble with doing such things as he aged. Instead, he relaxed into his chair and stared instead. Whatever happened would happen. 

When Stephen left, Wong immediately began to speak, “He’s not as stable as he would like you to believe, but neither are you I bet. Eventually you two keep coming back to one another, but at what cost?”

Was this a warning or an observation? It was ominous sounding for sure and most definitely had a hostility to it he had not been prepared for when he had entered the room.

“I care for him, too. More than anyone before in my entire life, including my own family,” Karl finally said, deciding that was what the other man was probably looking for.

“I know you are sincere. You're a good person and despite Stephen’s numerous defects in his personality, he is actually a good human being as well. I wish you happiness, but happiness is not easy.” 

Karl nodded, feeling like he was back in school being chastised by the headmaster. As he sat there thinking upon it, they heard Stephen come back up the stairs with some water in a closed container and another glass in hand for Karl. 

“So, what did I miss?”

“Just catching up. It’s been a while,” Wong lied.

Karl wasn’t going to say anything, not quite sure what exactly had happened between them, but understanding this man actually cared for Stephen more than most. It was almost touching, if he had only been an observer and not the target. 

“Yea, funny how life is like that right?” 

Stephen seemed in good spirits like before. It was interesting how something that seemed so simple on the surface, like answering a question, had such a profound effect on him. At that moment, all Karl wanted was for Wong to leave so they could really talk about things, but he wasn’t about to rush Stephen. He could only sit there and wait, and thankfully it didn’t take long. 

By the time Stephen came back after showing Wong out, he looked a bit sheepish over what had happened. He must have known Karl was wanting to talk, but couldn’t before with Wong there. It was a surprise to see him on his guard once more. Karl figured his friend must have said something to him as well, his mood altered from before.

Stephen gave him a light kiss on his forehead before sitting back down in his seat. Although his expression was a bit more serious, there was magic in his eyes still. It made Karl’s heart stop for a moment. Each time he saw Stephen look at him like that, it got to him, because no one looked like that at him. It was awe. Not lust, or amusement, or desire, but absolute wonder. 

“Sorry, I had no idea something like that would happen. A former coworker asked me if I wanted to give a talk, but I couldn’t have predicted this outcome. I honestly thought it was nothing.”

He was nervous, and Karl smiled sympathetically.

“Stephen, it’s fine. It was just surprising to have my assistant start talking about you first thing at work today.”

Stephen seemed to relax after he said this. Taking a sip of water, Stephen’s shaky hand seemed a little steadier than before. His shoulders dropped back into the plush padding of the chair as he looked at Karl, probably searching for signs of unease.

“I’ve been getting offers all day now. I don’t really know what to do though. It’s not about surgery, it’s about my experiences,” he sighed.

“What do you want to do?” Karl asked carefully.

He had his own opinions, but he knew it wasn’t his place to talk about it just yet, if at all. Both of them could tell this was fork in the road, two diverging paths that only Stephen could walk alone. He now understood why Stephen had such an expression on his face from before.

“What can I do? I can’t even type. The only reason I took that small gig in the first place was because I had given that speech a million times before.”

“If it is something you want to do, those things can be dealt with. What do you want Stephen?”

His face fell after Karl asked that of him.

“I want my old life back.” 

He said it so quietly, Karl almost couldn’t hear him. But the next part he said with a little more force, “I think now I can’t go back, no matter how hard I try. Frankly, I don’t know what I want to do.”

“Sleep on it then.”

A sad smile returned to Stephen face as he looked at Karl. After that, the magic from behind his eyes that had been there during the past week left. His heart fell knowing Stephen was back to struggling once again. 

Heading up the stairs, they were tired from Karl’s heat to think about doing anything but sharing a bed. 

As they lay there, Karl could tell that Stephen was weighing some of his options even if he hadn’t said a word. Stephen absent mindedly stroked at Karl’s arms as he held him. The soft caresses lulled him into a sleepy state. With everything that had been happening, it had tired him. He assumed it had been due to the end of his heat, but now he wasn’t sure if it was because of the emotions that had been coursing through him in the past few weeks or so. 

“I’m not a sociologist and far from being considered an ethicist in any capacity. I just don’t understand why they were interested in that? Why did people respond to that part?” Stephen said suddenly.

It occurred to Karl that Stephen truly didn’t understand, despite spending probably close to twenty years trying to live as a Beta in the outside world. Surely the man must have know there were others who felt similarly to him. It was a bit surprising to Karl, and he debated if he should say something or not. It wasn’t really his place, but at the same time it was now, wasn’t it?

Eventually he decided he needed to say what he felt, even if it weren’t his place. 

“People want to see themselves reflected in others, and in you that woman saw something similar to her or something dear to her anyways. All I know is that you have rarely spoken with such emotion or passion as you did in that video. That connects more than whatever you had been talking about before.”

Karl shifted to get a better look at Stephen, and he watched Stephen bite at his bottom lip as he considered Karl’s words.

“I had been talking about my passion before.” 

He was practically pouting, and Karl smiled softly in response. Sometimes he had too much of a narrow focus, wrapped up in whatever problem he had. It was not a good thing, but not necessarily a bad thing either.

“Yes, but they were a group of people who may have no interest in Neurology.”

“It was about surgery!”

“Sorry, but what is fascinating to you is not fascinating to the rest of the world. I would have probably slept through it, ” Karl sighed, turning over, not wanting their talk to turn into an argument. 

It was a technique he had perfected with Kaecilius all those years ago. Physical cues to tell his partners that he was not feeling up to getting into it. If Stephen didn’t accept his opinion, it didn’t really matter, but he just didn’t want to fight. That night, Stephen seemed a little more irritable than in the last week or so. 

Only when Stephen touched him on his shoulder, urging him to face him, did Karl turn over on his back. He wouldn’t have done that with Kaecilius; not that Kaecilius would have ever prompted him to.

“I don’t know what I’m good for anymore. I’m not even good at this. I don’t know how to change me.”

Karl reached up to touch his face, stroking at the place where his skin met the hair at his temples before traveling over his sharp cheekbone. With a sigh, he pressed his lips together to suggest that Stephen give him a kiss. Stephen gave him a light peck, before falling back to lay side by side with Karl.

“You are fine, just trust your gut. If you fail, then what is the worst that happens?” Karl asked.

“I lose everything, become homeless, and turn to a life of crime. Where I would eventually die a gruesome death, unable to transition into a life of becoming a gangster.”

Karl laughed at Stephen’s imaginative answer. 

“You’re clever enough. You’ll land on your feet. I believe in you.”

With that they didn’t say a word for the rest of the night, instead choosing to sleep side by side in a deep sleep they both needed.

 

.oOo.

 

Fear took hold about a week after his heat. He had been so preoccupied with things that had been going on with Stephen and his newfound internet fame that the days seemed to slip by him without notice. At this point, even he was being hounded for interviews and details about their life together. Some had been able to piece together snippets of things that had happened with them, and that was a scary revelation to Karl. He had always tried to keep to himself, but now details of his life were being plastered on the internet. Thankfully though, none of this affected him negatively in his professional life and he actually had an uptick in interests of the artist he was representing. People were odd like that in some ways. Where Stephen’s career probably would have suffered before from being so frank, Karl was doing better now that people found him with an interesting back story. That interest had turned into more offers to have his artist exhibited, so he couldn’t be too angry.

Now, he had a bigger problem on his hand: how to tell Stephen about his pregnancy. It wasn’t something they had talked about and the way that Stephen had been when the topic came up those many years ago made him feel uneasy. Because although he wanted children, he didn’t talk about it. He thought it was an unachievable dream for many years, imagining himself with Kaecilius forever. 

He couldn’t even begin to imagine how Stephen would react, but he had to think about all the different possibilities, and try to plan for them. It was hard to admit, but he knew deep down inside if he had to choose between having the child and Stephen, he would chose the child in a heartbeat. He would go back to Europe and give Stephen this house, and then he would forget. They would forget one another as they had done in the past. Yet, he knew that his heart would break, just as it had in the past.

It would not be an easy subject to broach.

It bothered him for a day or so until he decided that it was too much of a burden to keep such a secret any longer. He had to go seek out Stephen. Ultimately, he found him with his computer in the kitchen. A cup of tea sat in front of him, a habit he had picked up since he moved in. One of Karl’s artist in Europe turned him on to drinking tea with honey in the mornings, and he passed along the habit on to Stephen. 

Stephen looked up as Karl leaned against the counter. He no longer smelled anymore, but Karl knew Stephen picked up the fear in his scent. It was too great to hide, and he swallowed hard. 

Sighing, Stephen started the conversation, “Sometimes I don’t know why it’s so hard to talk about these things. Especially since we have been so intimate in the past, but when it comes to our feelings or facing reality… Karl, I know you are pregnant, just like you know it. I don’t know why you are so scared to mention it.”

“You noticed,” Karl replied shyly.

“I am a doctor who sleeps with you in your bed and showers with you quite regularly. Do you think I would miss the sign that your body hadn’t returned to it’s usual state?”

It could have been missed by others -those who were not Omega’s or those unfamiliar with omega anatomy. But Stephen would notice how his genitals were smaller, even if they weren’t obscenely that much smaller. He probably even noticed some of the water retention around his hips and thighs. Stephen of course would have an eye for those kind of details.

He felt himself heat up in embarrassment as he thought about it.

“Yes. I can’t be sure if… You know how high the rates are for miscarriages, so…” Karl trailed off, not wanting to think about it and not wanting to ask the one question he had to ask.

Stephen looked at him seriously, and Karl could curse him for going back on that medication. It would be much easier if he had a clue what Stephen was thinking.

There was no sudden reaction- no jumping up and spinning Karl around in happiness. There weren’t any furrowed brows, or sighs of frustration. No burst of anger followed their exchange. There was nothing and that made him more nervous.

“How do you feel about this.”

“I don’t know,” Stephen answered honestly. 

He needed time. Karl had his time, even if he knew his answer immediately. Stephen wasn’t him though, and even if he had an inkling of Karl being pregnant, it was hard to sift through everything. It was not surprising, when he thought about it further -Stephen with his dead family members. 

Karl’s heart sank, and he left the kitchen before Stephen and him could get into it. It was not something he was ready to visit emotionally with the man and he knew Stephen needed time as well to process it all. Maybe he should have said something about how he wanted children in the kitchen, but he knew Stephen probably knew from how he reacted. If he didn’t want children, he wouldn’t be so troubled or disappointed. 

Eventually, Stephen came to find him in the living room. Standing in the door frame, he leaned against it very casually. He was dressed nicely, and had a very sad expression.

“I wanted to tell you earlier, but I’ve decided to give a talk at an event tonight.”

Karl nodded and waved his hand to tell him to go. If he wanted to invite Karl, he was not in the mood for it and his body language made it perfectly clear. Stephen got the hint, signing heavily as he left. 

His heart hurt, and he felt as if he were at a disadvantage compared to Stephen, his feelings so evident. It made him want to be left alone. 

There was something very familiar about this situation. Joy, then pain, then normally followed by one of them leaving. This time it may have to be Karl leaving again. He had hoped that this was over -that they had finally come to a place of understanding.

Dragging his carcass into bed, he laid there, but sleep did not come. His brain was working overtime with different scenarios playing out. Most of them had bad endings for him and Stephen, but ultimately there were happy thoughts of having someone who would be his family. It nearly brought him to tears to think about his lonely days coming to an end. He would do his best not to be like his mother or grandfather. Yes, he would like the child to have it’s father, but he could not force Stephen into that position. It would be miserable if he did that.

When the door opened, many hours later and Stephen came in, Karl laid there facing the opposite way. He heard Stephen sigh, and rustling of clothes and objects in the room. It was uncomfortable; the tension still permeated between them. 

Climbing into bed, he felt Stephen mold against him, wrapping his arm around Karl’s torso before he pressed his forehead against his shoulder as he had done so many times before. Karl was tired. 

“I’m going to keep doing these kind of speaking events. It’s not bad and people seem interested. The downside is that even if I did this every night, it doesn’t pay even one tenth of what I had been making, but I have to do something for you and our child... I just wish I was more useful.”

Money. Pride. Uncertainty. 

It made a little more sense to why Stephen seemed to have not reacted before. Personal feelings wrapped up in a sense of duty, just like all those years ago. Karl remembered how Stephen had emphasized about being responsible for his father when they first bonded, and then again how that sense of responsibility had kicked in when he had helped Karl after his accident. Being responsible for blood and those he had deeper ties with seemed to be ingrained in Stephen. He understood that, but Stephen was not alone in this. 

Karl turned to face Stephen, barely able to see the man in the darkness. 

“If you are just doing this out of obligation-” Karl started to say.

Stephen put his hand upon Karl’s chest to stop him.

“I don’t have the confidence in me that I will be a good father, but I want to have a family with you. I have disappointed you and others many times. I can’t promise that I won’t disappoint you again.”

Somehow that was harder to hear than Stephen just outright rejecting the thought of having children altogether. It hurt him that Stephen felt this way, but Karl had to admit that Stephen had a point. Stephen ran away a lot, and was often absent. It made him pause.

“If you try, you will succeed, but you can’t run away. Or at least not until we’ve talked. I am no longer so naive as to believe that these things don’t happen, but with a child involved-”

“I won’t run. I can promise that.”

Karl sighed, wanting to believe, but time had hardened him. He knew he would have to try to trust more too. 

Stephen moved to kiss Karl, lightly on the lips before placing one on his cheek.

“You can’t run either.”

“This is my house after all,” Karl reminded him, not adding that he had a flat in Paris. 

That life was another conversation they would eventually have to talk about, but it was not as pressing as other talks they needed to have.

“Yea, it’s nice and big for a child or two,” Stephen added quietly.

“Two?”

Some reason that connected with him a lot more than all those others words Stephen had said to him before in the heat of moments, or the confessions when they were talking through problems. It was a little piece of thinking about the future -their future together. 

It warmed his heart in ways he could never have predicted.

Turning once again so that he could be in Stephen’s embrace, Karl slept well that night. He dreamt of the life he never had: a father, a mother, a dog, and a sibling. In the dream he had been a happy young adult, and he was mated with Stephen, expecting his first. Stephen still had his hands and they were vacationing somewhere by the sea. It felt so real, so when he awoke the next morning and reality sunk in, he felt empty. 

The bed was cold, Stephen had gone, and he immediately felt anxious by the man’s absence. It was like before, only Stephen was no longer a surgeon, so he couldn’t fathom why Stephen would be out of bed so early. Karl knew that if he had gotten cold feet and left, he would not be returning.

His heart felt as if it were going to stop. It felt like it was throwing irregular beats as he sat up in the bed, his chest tight. But then he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and relaxed. It could only be Stephen. 

Sure enough, Stephen came into the room with a tray of food rattling from how unsteady it was. Although he was sure that this was a show of romanticism from Stephen, it slightly embarrassed Karl, not needing someone to serve him. Stephen had through so much trouble, so the gesture was appreciated, especially when he saw that it had probably taken some time. It wasn’t his normal fare of foods. It was very American style, but he would savor every bite. He smiled as he noticed that on the tray were things that Stephen once proclaimed were the only things he could make without burning down the house -pancakes and eggs. Additionally, there was some pre-cut fruit and he smiled, wondering if Stephen had gone out to the store to get him some that morning. The tray lacked any liquids, most likely due to Stephen’s hands. As he noticed this though, Stephen pulled a tumbler from the pocket of the bathrobe he was wearing. Karl smiled wider at that as well. 

“Normally you’re awake before I am, so I wanted to take the opportunity to do something nice.”

“This is nice. Very nice.”

In some ways it felt like an apology, but there was no reason Stephen should have felt sorry. Yes, it took him a while to come to the conclusion that he was going to be a part of the child’s life, but it wasn’t something Karl wanted him to rush either. Still, he would gladly accept being fed any day of the week. It made him feel happier, if not a little more shy than before.

Stephen climbed into bed sitting across from Karl and they ate together in relative silence. After a few bites, Karl would look up to see Stephen looking at him with a curious expression.

“It’s good. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried.”

“That confident in your abilities?” Karl teased. 

His eyes lifted to meet Stephen’s and he smiled at the other man, earning a goofy, awkward smile in return.

“I’m not worried about breakfast anyways. I meant what I said last night, every word of it. The good and bad.”

Karl sighed, shrugging.

“We are not prophets, otherwise our lives would have varied greatly from where we are at. Just as long as you don’t keep everything to yourself, we will be fine.” He paused, looking Stephen in the eye, “I don’t like big surprises, but everything else I can manage. We’ve both survived a lot, don’t you think?”

Stephen nodded, visibly more relaxed. Karl smiled in response. 

His spouse was different from others in his life. Most took charge and he followed orders. It had been comforting, but now it was like the blind leading the blind, and in that there was some reinvigoration in his life. Although Stephen was maybe monetarily at a disadvantage, Karl felt as though they were finally well matched. There was no struggle. He no longer tried to remind himself of his place when they interacted. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he was allowed to be. 

Putting his silverware down with a clank, he leaned over suddenly to kiss Stephen lightly, surprising the man. 

Karl knew at that moment, that this was really love. At least the kind of love he had been looking for since he was a teenager pouring over his novels. Gone was any desire for the things he had thought he wanted in a relationship. What he had now was what he always wanted. This was it. This was perfection. 

Getting up afterward they finished, he motioned for Stephen to follow him into the bathroom to take a shower. Of course, Stephen didn’t miss a beat and quickly moved to follow.

 

.oOo.

 

Between him and Stephen, the sex and the raw intimate moments they had were never a problem. And it was easy enough to get to those points, their attraction running deeper than Karl had assumed at first. However, there were moments of friction that put some dents into their happiness. Stephen had a temper like him, and it came out the most when he was frustrated with his situation or when he assumed that he was right about a topic. So they fought, and fought hard at times. 

Karl never liked to raise his voice, but Stephen was able to get him to that point where they would row for days if push came to shove. Normally, Stephen instigated these incidences. The first time was when Stephen had missed their first meeting with the Omega specialist. The most recent time was after they had been out to dinner with Stephen’s friend Wong.

That had been a disaster if there ever was one. Stephen and Wong had decided to take him to French Bistro somewhere near NoHo, only they had not asked him before if the place was okay. When they arrived, he had casually mentioned that he had lived in Paris for the six years he had been gone from New York. That had been fine, but the food was below his normal standards for French food even outside of France, and it must have shown on his face. No one left the meal in a great mood even if it had been fairly amiable on the surface. The real trouble started on the way home in the cab with Stephen pressuring him about his time in Paris, asking too many personal questions for Karl’s comfort. 

He had not understood until that moment how avoiding their past would affect them. But Stephen’s reaction when he told him he met another Alpha in Paris that made him realize they would have to talk about things. Stephen had become bent out of shape because of this new piece of information for some reason.

Although he had never shared a heat with Daniel, Stephen took it as an affront that he was not the only Alpha Karl had been attracted to, pressing him on how far they went and what the other man had meant to him. It was ridiculous since it had ended months before he had returned to America.

Karl sighed thinking about how he had not liked that part of Stephen. It wasn’t the jealousy he had experienced with Kaecilius, like he first assumed, but for some reason Stephen felt as though Karl had been keeping secrets from him. That was not it at all either. They continued to feel friction in the air between them until the point where Karl pointed out that Stephen had not been forth coming with his past dalliances as well. 

That shut the man up pretty quickly, even though he tried to retaliate with the fact that all of his romances had been short lived, while Karl’s had not.

It was true, it had not been short, but it also had not been deep. What had Stephen expected? He had a lot of odd assumptions about Karl sometimes.

Things like that came up from time to time, and although Karl knew it was exacerbated by all of the changes his body was going through and Stephen’s uncertain future, they managed to move past them. There were always going to be growing pains. 

One day though, Karl and Stephen seemed to have a breakthrough of sorts. They had been to the doctors together before. During the visits they had, Stephen had not really paid too much attention. He just nodded as the woman rolled off some instructions and updates on the child they were to have. Karl always got the feeling that it wasn’t cool enough science for Stephen to give it his full attention, but when the fetus became big enough to make out a lot more details, Stephen sat there in awe. It was such an odd reaction to Karl. Surely the man had seen his share of sonograms. When he pressed and prodded Stephen about it, Stephen finally admitted, almost absentmindedly, that all those other times it hadn’t been their kid. 

Their kid. Little statements like that stoked the fires more than anything else. No matter how many times Stephen said he was handsome, or beautiful, or whatever romantic word Stephen felt attached to, it didn’t feel the same as the attractiveness of communal words. Us, our, ours became the most romantic words in the English language to Karl. 

That night after the doctor’s visit, everything had been so tender, with Stephen practically worship him in his own way. Taking care of him the best he could, ending the night with some of the most unhurried, affectionate sex they had ever had. His legs wrapped around Stephen’s torso as Stephen curled over him and cradled his head, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. Then his world stopped as Stephen said those three words that he had been scared to utter and scared to hear.

I love you.

And he groaned as he came, unable to stave off orgasm. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words back, overcome with emotion. The feelings that flooded his sensed were overwhelming, as they often had been between the two of them.

Only when they had been resting afterward was Karl able to say the words, with Stephen looking smugly self satisfied after hearing them. Even in his moments of arrogance, Karl couldn’t help but feel that he had finally found the person for him. Life was finally good, and he knew Stephen felt the same for once.

 

.oOo. Epilogue .oOo.

 

Wong put down the paper. Sometimes he found Karl a little ridiculous with all of his nostalgia. After all, who still read hard copies of newspapers? But, he liked the man enough to drop by when they were both at the house. That was more than he could say about the spouses of some of his other friends. If they had a lived a different life, he may have even made friends with Karl instead of Stephen.

Exchanging the paper for the almost two year old screaming at him to pick her up, he quieted her with a look. For some reason she always came to him, unlike most other children. 

“Finally getting what he deserves,” Stephen grumbled.

He pointed his gaze at the article on Kaecilius. Kaecilius and his accomplices had attacked another when the victim protest against being blackmailed. It had been all over the news.

“Yes, 25 to life and then deportation if he is released. I bet Karl will rest easy now,” Wong responded.

“I will rest easy. I told you about that note he had sent after Ana was born.”

Wong nodded, looking down at the little girl, currently babbling away to herself and pulling at cloth on the table. Stephen was holding it down with his elbows to prevent it from being yanked off.

“You showed it to me. I still think you should have gone to Paris.”

“Nothing happened.”

“It was rash, something could have happened.”

Stephen disagreed with him, looking at him with puzzled irritation. He could tell that Stephen thought Wong was being overly cautious. If he was, it was only because this was his goddaughter. He had tried to appeal to Karl’s normally good sense of logic, but Karl had been wary to uproot all of them with Stephen’s new job as a coordinator for the DSA -Doctors with Status Association. Stephen finally figured it out after Wong had been able to get it through his thick skull that there were people, programs, and technology that could help him overcome some of his difficulties. Wong thought he was so melodramatic sometimes with his ‘I can’t’s and ‘it’s impossible’s and all that nonsense.

Things seemed good for them. Almost.

As Ana turned her attention to the glass of tea in front of Wong, she struggled against his grasp, finally wordlessly yelling at him. With that it seemed to summon Karl from a different room. 

Walking into the kitchen, he looked exasperated. Obviously he had been trying to rest, nearing the end stages of his current pregnancy. Wong didn’t envy him, having to deal with pregnancy, a two year old, and Stephen. It seemed like a nightmare. At times he found himself overwhelmed by Ana and Stephen, and unlike Karl, he could go home at the end of their time together. Karl was home. Wong figured the man was to be pitied.

“It’s good to see you again,” Karl mentioned politely, but it lacked the normal cheerfulness.

“Likewise.”

Ana stopped fussing in his lap, instead turning to have her mother pick her up. With a big sigh, Karl picked her up with some effort. Once again Wong felt a pang of pity for the man. 

The funny thing about children, or at least this child, is that they were never satisfied. The minute she had settled, she decided she wanted to go to her father. Wordlessly, and despite the obvious tired expression plastered on Karl’s face, Karl handed her off, and sat down next to them, pulling a chair over to make it easier. She certainly was spoiled much more than Wong had ever been.

Reaching for her father’s hair to grab, Stephen tried to avoid her as Karl tried to distract her from her goal, handing her a stuffed toy he had been keeping in his cardigan pocket. 

“Are you sure you want another?” Wong asked.

“It’s a bit too late for that question,” Stephen responded cheekily.

That earned him an aggressive tap with the back of a hand against his arm and a glare.

“One is too lonely,” Stephen added quickly, obviously trying to save himself from one of Karl’s infamous lectures.

Wong understood that, being an only child, and figured Karl knew the same feeling. 

As he picked up his sickly sweetened tea, he sat there watching a real family in front of him. It was his most surprising match he had ever made, but he was glad it all worked out in the end. And they were all the better for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that is the end of this story. What started as a small idea I had chatting with MianMimi turned into a nearly 50k fic. 
> 
> Hope you have enjoyed the ride as I have. ♡

**Author's Note:**

> Kuddos and comments are ♡.


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